


Full Moon

by CoffeeDevil



Series: Lunar Cycle [1]
Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Modern AU, Murder, Mystery, Supernatural Elements, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-08-22 06:25:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 62,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8275954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeDevil/pseuds/CoffeeDevil
Summary: Life's rough when you're a werewolf. Ciel Phantomhive has it tougher than most as the runt of the pack. Having an insane vampire stalker and ever-growing number of dead packmates doesn't help either.





	1. Chapter 1

Many notable things have occurred on the 14th of December: the Forty-Seven Ronin avenged the death of their master, Quantum Physics was born, nuclear bombs were tested, and Ciel Phantomhive turned 21.

The birthday boy in question spent his first morning of adulthood brooding into an over-priced latte. Brilliant winter sunlight shone cheerily onto his face, taunting him. It was a gloriously perfect day outside and Ciel _hated_ it. His twenty-first birthday should have been the happiest day of his life; instead it was the biggest let-down ever. He ducked his head and grumbled sour things into his paper cup.

A shadow appeared off to his left, irritating Ciel when it didn't keep moving. "Hello," the stranger said, looming. Ciel grudgingly slid his eyes over to make sure it wasn't someone he should know. A curious red-eyed, black-haired stranger stared back at him, smiling like the world wasn't a giant sack of shit. Ciel _harrumphed_ and turned his attention back to his terrible coffee, trying to decide if it actually was bad or if his mood was just spoiling his enjoyment of it. "I couldn't help but notice you seem troubled," the stranger continued as if they were having a conversation. Ciel was having none of it. He didn't even flinch this time, hoping the man would take a hint and move along. No such luck. "Cat got your tongue?"

Realizing this dark-haired menace wouldn't go away on its own, the Ciel responded at last: "What do you want?"

"Oh, so you can hear me. Good."

Ciel gaped as the asshole sat down across from him. He ran his eyes over the attractive face and trim body of his unwanted companion, noting and instantly dismissing his nondescript black attire and plain black coffee in a porcelain mug. _Stupid hipster pretty-boy_. Ciel's dark gray eyebrows furrowed as the stranger got comfortable. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Sitting so we can talk. My name is Sebastian." The older man offered a friendly smile and tilted his head to shift long black bangs out of his face. The way his eyes ran appreciatively over Ciel made him instantly uncomfortable.

"Piss off, Sebastian. I'm not in the mood to talk," the touchy little thing snarled, folding his arms over his chest and looking out the window. _Go away, go away, go away!_ Ciel shouted internally.

"Sounds like your problem is too big for caffeine to handle," Sebastian observed.

A dainty snort slipped out despite Ciel's resolve to ignore him. "That's the god's own truth. Believe me, I fully intend to get something stronger as soon as the sun sets." He watched as cars rolled infrequently by, wondering what it would be like if things were different. He might actually have enjoyed his birthday if his presents this year hadn't included a shitty animal spirit and the beginning of a year-long battle for dominance.

Sebastian unsuccessfully kept trying to make eye contact. "Maybe talking about it would help?"

Ciel finally whipped his head around to stare him down hard. Sebastian met his gaze levelly, completely unaffected by Ciel's best _fuck-off-and-die_ glare. The little Were made an ugly noise in the back of his throat. "You really don't understand what 'piss off' means, do you? Here, I'll show you." And with that, he got up and walked out, slamming his unwanted coffee loudly into a bin on the way.

Ciel spent the day roaming aimlessly around. He was both immensely happy and strangely disappointed to have made it through the first day of the Challenge Period without actually participating in any challenges. He knew he needed to participate in order to get ranked but getting smacked around on this, the shittiest of birthdays, would have just been the cherry on his cake of suck. No, he was perfectly fine with saving all his skull-bashing and limb-tearing for another day … not that he expected to do much of either. Such was the downside of being both the youngest and the runt.

He was walking down Main Street when a bar labeled "Blue Moon Tavern" caught his eye. Smirking, Ciel decided to give it a shot. The only upside to this wretched day was that he could now (legally) drink until he forgot his troubles. Well, the ones that didn't follow him, anyway.

Ciel was on his second mug of beer when he caught sight of a familiar dark-haired figure across the room. He wouldn't have noticed the man at all if he weren't slowly creeping closer. With the careful grace of a hunting predator, Sebastian observed the boy from the other end of the bar. He stealthily scooted one seat closer every five minutes until there was only one left between them. He had spent the past thirty minutes of stool-shuffling concocting the perfect opening line, one he was sure the boy would respond to –

"That was entertaining," his prey noted, completely stealing Sebastian's thunder. "Can I get you to do it again?"

The red-eyed man stared stupidly. "Beg pardon?"

Ciel snickered, looking straight ahead. "That little butt-shuffle you just did across the room," he explained. "Hilarious." He lifted his frosty mug to his smirking lips, sipping whatever house brew this strange human place served.

Sebastian opened his mouth indignantly only to find himself at a complete loss for words. He swiveled toward the bar, looking straight ahead himself, and ordered one of whatever was in his neighbor's mug.

"Cat got _your_ tongue now?" Ciel teased, alcohol loosening him up enough to find humor in this situation.

Grin lighting his face, Sebastian looked over to catch Ciel's eye. The boy smiled, gracing him with a brief glance. "You seem to be doing better," Sebastian noted.

"Nope, I'm doing drunker. It just looks like better."

"I see. Bad day, I take it?"

"The baddest."

"Want to talk about it?" the stranger offered for the second time that day.

"What are you, a therapist?" Ciel said with an exasperated sigh.

Sebastian smirked, preparing to lay out his trump card. "Better: a vampire." That little announcement never failed to send humans into a squealing fit. There was something innately desirable and romantic about vampires and right now he was counting on it to hook the interest of this delightful little creature.

"Sucks to be you," the boy muttered, pushing his empty mug toward the bartender and gesturing for another. Sebastian blinked. Lip quirked, the boy elbowed him. "Get it? Sucks?" He giggled at his own bad pun and Sebastian stared dumbly for a few seconds before smiling as well.

"Yes, it does," he murmured thoughtfully, lifting his own pint.

They drank in silence for a while before Ciel finally asked, "So why are you stalking me, Mister Vampire? There have got to be easier meals out there."

"It's Sebastian," he reminded. "And I don't want to feed on you. You're too entertaining."

The boy spun his stool to face him, brow cocked. "'Entertaining?' All I've done is tell you to piss off. Don't tell me that being rejected is some weird vampire kink."

Sebastian laughed. "Hardly. I'm just bored and you make me laugh."

"Gee, thanks, I guess," the little one muttered, turning back to the bar. "Weirdo."

"I can't deny it; vampires are innately weird, aren't we?" Sebastian toyed with his mug, wiping the frost off with pale fingers that seemed completely unaffected by the cold. "I've introduced myself twice now. Care to return the favor?"

Royal blue eyes rolled over him appraisingly, followed by the smallest of head shakes. "Nope. That would violate the first rule of Piss Off Club. I just want to be left alone." And with that decree, an invisible wall slammed down between them. Sebastian tried a few more times to engage him, but Ciel didn't so much as twitch, ignoring the vampire completely until he gave up and wandered off. For now.

\---

The third time Sebastian saw the curious blue-eyed boy was one week later.

The vampire exited an art studio one night holding a sloppy painting in one hand and an unopened bottle of wine in the other. He had given the Wine-and-Design trend a serious attempt but was less than impressed with the outcome. It had been mildly amusing while he was drunkenly splashing paint onto the canvas, but now he had a very lopsided pink tree and bottle of cheap wine to show for it. He tilted the canvas left and right, but his rapidly sobering brain was quick to point out that it sucked from every angle. Nope. No salvaging this one – painting _or_ trend.

He ducked down an icy alley to dispose of it in a nearby dumpster when movement caught his eye. A slender shape darted past the mouth of the alley, running fast on the slick road. Sebastian's predator instincts took over and he gave chase. Out of curiosity. Honest. He followed the rapidly moving person easily, keeping silently to the shadows as he gained on it.

Another figure roughly the same size flew out of a cross street, knocking the first to the ground and pummeling it. Sebastian's crimson gaze locked onto the two, flicking back and forth with interest as they tumbled and tussled. They were both quick and strong, both short and slender. A human wouldn't have been able to make out any details by the weak streetlights at this distance, but Sebastian's preternatural eyesight picked out flashes of blond hair struggling against almost-black. Neither seemed to be making any headway, though, until a third one joined in, this one much larger than the other two. Sebastian frowned. He hated unsportsmanlike conduct. He stretched his ears out to see if there was anyone else around, possibly coming to the first little one's aid, but found nothing. Well now, he'd just have to do something about that.

With a quick leap, he flew feet-first into the large man, knocking him away from the others. The yellow-eyed man snarled up at him with a mouth full of fangs and Sebastian succinctly bonked him on the head with the butt of his wine bottle to knock him out. Pathetic. He folded his arms and leaned back against a building to watch the smaller ones continue their fight.

"No fair!" the blond one snarled, shoving the other's shoulders. "You can't have outsider help. You lose by default."

"You broke the rules first," the dark-haired one retorted, "bringing your guard dog. You can't win a challenge two-against-one."

 _That voice!_ Sebastian perked up.

"Fine, we'll finish this one-on-one. Don't cry when you lose." With that, the blond launched himself back in, snarling, kicking, biting. The familiar dark-haired one gave as good as he got, punching, elbowing, and kneeing viciously.

Now that he knew one of the boys, Sebastian found himself picking sides and silently rooting for his blue-eyed champion. He wanted to swoop in and help, but he didn't think it would be welcome after the exchange he just overheard. They were obviously fighting for something and had rules against 'outsiders.'

The blond was strong and mean but his blue-eyed boy was quick and tricky. Every time the blond lunged and snapped, the other would swat him away easily. He led the blond one over uneven patches in the road, forced him to extend his reach just a little too far, and kept him moving too quickly to think. Before long, the blond was panting and exhausted. _That's_ when the blue-eye boy started fighting in earnest. The fight was over in a matter of heartbeats.

The blue-eyed boy delivered one final kick to the prone blond form. "You'll never make Top Five, Trancy. Quit trying." A slow clap brought those pretty eyes up to Sebastian. The boy scowled. "And I'm pissed at you, too, you know. I had it under control."

Sebastian smiled, flipping his wine bottle end over end. "Sure you did."

"I freaking _did_ ," the boy insisted, fuming. He stomped his foot childishly before turning his back and crossing his arms.

"Care to tell me what all of that was about?"

"Nope." He nudged the one called Trancy once more just to hear him groan. Smirking, he turned on his heel and continued walking the way he had been running. Sebastian fell in step beside him. The boy looked up at him curiously for a moment. "Why are you following me?"

"I'm not; I'm walking with you."

The little one sighed. "Fine. Why are you walking with me, then? I can take care of myself."

Sebastian chuckled. "So I saw. I happen to live in this direction."

"Get another street," the boy muttered, flipping his coat collar up.

"I was here first."

The boy snorted and pointed out unkindly: "You were everywhere first; you're old."

"Oh, right in the ticker," Sebastian said dramatically, throwing his head back and pressing his free hand to his chest as he walked. He looked down in faux concern, tapping his sternum. "Wait, is this thing on?" He was rewarded with his first laugh from the boy.

"You really are weird, know that?"

"Hazards of old age; I think I've gone … _batty_." Sebastian wiggled his eyebrows at the little one who groaned at the pun.

"Not cool."

"Excuse me, weren't you the one making puns about vampires sucking last week?"

"I was drunk," the small one argued, pointing at Sebastian. "You have no excuse."

"Well, I _was_ drunk earlier," Sebastian explained thoughtfully, finger on his chin. "I think it's all gone now, though."

"Metabolism's a bitch," the younger noted.

"No kidding. I think it only lasted half an hour this time. Someone really needs to make alcohol for those afflicted by quick healing. Intoxicationally Challenged? How would one phrase that anyway?" he mused, staring up at the dark, cloudy sky. He received no response. Shrugging, he walked in silence for a bit before a wet gleam caught his attention. "Wait, you have something just … here." Sebastian swiped a thumb across his companion's temple. He brought it to his nose, pupils dilating at the heady aroma. He licked it tentatively, gasping at the distinct flavor. "Werewolf," he whispered, looking at the boy with renewed interest.

Ciel brushed the comment aside disinterestedly. "Tch, that's Alois's blood, not mine."

"Obviously," the vampire noted, looking at the boy's unbroken skin. "What does a werewolf want with you, though?" He licked his lips to get the last remnants of that delicious flavor. Supernatural blood really was a cut above human.

"None of your business, that's what," the younger snapped, clearly not in the mood to talk about it.

The vampire leaned in to sniff the boy's hair. "You smell different from him."

"Gah," the small one swatted at him. "Rude! Don't just sniff people like that. What's wrong with you?"

Sebastian took the little slaps in stride, backing off to a comfortable distance. "Well, if you're not going to talk to me …" he trailed off, leaving the implication open.

"Then what? You're just going to stalk me to death? Creep." Ciel stomped harder than necessary as he marched toward his destination. "And where the hell's your house? You're not following me home, pervert."

Sebastian chuckled. "Now there's a thought." At the boy's artic gaze, he held up his hands in surrender. "Kidding, kidding. My turn's in a few blocks; you'll be free of me soon. Unless you don't _want_ to be, that is," he added playfully.

"Tch."

Toothy grin making its way onto his face, Sebastian grabbed his companion and spun them, pinning the smaller one against a brick building by his shoulders. "Now, now. That's no way to treat someone who helped you."

"Leggo," Ciel snarled, squirming ineffectively. He lashed out at Sebastian's shins with his little boots and might as well have been kicking a statue for all the good it did. Glaring up fearlessly, he demanded, "What do you _want_?"

Sebastian's belly tingled at the unadulterated loathing on the boy's face. He was used to terror, fear, or at the very least uncertainty from trapped prey. Hatred was new and exciting. Displaying his fangs, he chuckled when the boy's face soured in disgust, still not afraid. "I want your name."

"My name?" The boy blinked at him, dumbfounded. He flicked his eyes warily from Sebastian's exposed fangs to his teasing crimson gaze, convinced it had to be some sort of trick.

Sebastian chuckled, leaning in to tap their noses together. This little ball of hatred was absolutely adorable! He skimmed his nose and open lips over the boy's forehead, breathing him in. _This scent … so familiar and yet so foreign. What is it?_ He dragged his tongue over an eyebrow to see if taste would help him place it. Blood filled his mouth as he was rudely head-butted. His _own_ blood from biting down on his tongue. Ick.

"Freak," the boy spat.

Sebastian glared, bringing himself nose-to-nose with the boy again. "You hit me."

"You _licked_ me," the boy noted petulantly, completely uncowed by the angry vampire looming over him.

"I'm bleeding."

"Cry me a river."

"Brat."

"Ass."

"I have fangs," Sebastian snarled, putting them on display.

"I don't care," Ciel spat back, really riled up now.

 _That insolent little –_ "I will bite you," he warned flatly.

"Try it and see what happens, dick bag!"

"Dick bag?" Sebastian asked, momentarily surprised. He pulled his face back to stare at the boy. That was _definitely_ a response he'd never gotten before.

"Yeah, grandpa, it's an insult." The blue-eyed boy stared up at him challengingly, little lower lip thrust out in a pout.

 _That face!_ Sebastian grinned, then chuckled, then dropped the boy's shoulders entirely to laugh heartily.

Ciel straightened his coat with jerky motions, eyeing the laughing vampire with disgust. "What's wrong with you, anyway?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

"Me?" Sebastian asked, wiping the corner of his eye as his laughter died down. "You're the one who just goaded a vampire into almost biting you. What's wrong with _you_? Got a death wish, kitten?"

The boy's cheek twitched. "Don't call me that."

"Gladly. Simply give me something else to call you and you'll never hear it again. Kitten."

Blue eyes narrowed. "You're going to call me 'kitten' from now until I die if I don't tell you my name, aren't you?"

"Right on the nose, kitten," Sebastian responded, smiling broadly. "I don't see how it's a bad thing, though. Cats are adorable."

The boy sighed. "Ciel."

"Ciel," Sebastian repeated, rolling the sound of it over his tongue. It tasted sweet. "Is that like Cher – just one word?"

"As far as you're concerned, yes." Ciel eyed him cautiously as he took a step forward. When Sebastian didn't tackle him again, he resumed walking. He was tired and more than ready to get home where he'd be safe from any more sneak attacks.

Satisfied with his progress, Sebastian nodded, following a few paces behind. As they reached his turn, he paused and called, "See you around – Ciel."

The boy raised a hand in acknowledgement but didn't turn or slow his pace. It was cold and dark and wet and he wanted nothing more than a hot bath and seat by the fire. Ciel rolled his shoulders, still tense from his fight with Trancy – and getting manhandled by that lunatic vampire. His lip curled in distaste. Sebastian was a nuisance he really didn't need at the moment. Ciel supposed he was harmless enough as far as vampires went, but he had too many things on his plate without a nosey outsider following him around and distracting him from his plan.

Ciel breathed a sigh of relief when he reached his own driveway. His home was an impressive two-story manor belonging to his parents and – more importantly – it was off limits to challengers. It was the only place in the whole damn city he could breathe easily.

"Ciel!" his mother's cheerful voice called the instant he entered, her pretty blonde form following it around the corner.

"Hello, mother," he sighed. He had been hoping to clean up before she saw him. He winced as her eyes raked over his disheveled clothes and scraped knuckles.

"Again?" she asked, blue eyes sad. She gently knocked some dirt off his sleeves, frowning.

"It was nothing," he assured her, taking her soft, clean hands gently into his scraped and dirty ones. "Just Trancy."

"I hope you trounced him again," his father called, entering the foyer. His tie was loose and a glass of Scotch in his hand, obviously relaxing after a long day.

Ciel smirked. "Of course I did."

"That's my boy!"

"Vincent," Ciel's mother chided.

"Rachel, every boy goes through this; it's a rite of passage," his father reminded her. He clapped his free hand on Ciel's shoulder. "Good job, son. How long did it take this time?"

 "A bit longer than usual. He brought backup," Ciel complained. Rachel tsk-ed, combing debris out of Ciel's hair with her fingers.

Vincent's brown eyes narrowed. "I see. I'll take care of it; that won't happen again. Go clean up before your mother picks you bald like a hen." Ciel nodded, immediately climbing the stairs to the bedrooms on the second floor.

Rachel made an affronted noise, popping Vincent in the chest with the back of one delicate hand as Ciel left. "I am not. He's just so _dirty_."

"He's a boy and a Were, he's _supposed_ be dirty," Ciel heard his father argue as he walked down the hall to his room. He cracked a grin. His mother was one of the few humans privy to the secrets of their pack and sometimes she had a hard time reconciling their more animalistic tendencies with her strictly human sensibilities. The Challenge Period was one of the things she struggled with the most. Every generation had to be ranked when they came of age to establish what role they'd play in the pack and what better way to do it than letting the kids duke it out themselves? As soon as the youngest came of age, the Challenge began and ran for a year. A full year in which the newest members fought and challenged and tested each other to determine where they stood in relation. Only the top five would be considered eligible for leadership roles; all others were simply lackeys, lower members that the leaders oversaw. Many kids were completely okay with never being a leader. Whether they lacked motivation, rejected responsibility, or just didn't want to deal with the constant fighting, a large number made their intention of non-involvement perfectly clear from the outset. Others, like Ciel Phantomhive – and Alois Trancy – wanted to lead.

Ciel stripped off his dirty clothes while he filled the tub. As an afterthought, he jumped in the shower, rinsing off most of the dirt and debris quickly so he wouldn't marinate in it. Despite what his father said, he didn't _like_ being dirty, were-animal or not. Maybe it was something particular to his animal spirit or maybe it was just because he was a spoiled, pampered little human-raised thing. Either way, he detested getting dirty.

Finally, a quasi-clean Ciel sank down into the tub and let the warm water soothe his aching body as he washed. It had only been one week since his birthday, the shitty day that marked the start of the Challenge, but every single day since had been full of fights. Ciel was the youngest and a runt, meaning he had to work twice as hard if he wanted to be in the top five. Some of the others had years of experience and pounds of brawn on him, not to mention ridiculously more powerful animal spirits. Ciel made a sour face at that thought. A Were's animal spirit was supposed to reflect his inner nature. His father was a sleek and deadly wolf. His grandfather had been a majestic panther. And him? Ciel grimaced. He hoped it wasn't really a reflection of his inner nature or he was screwed six ways to Sunday.

Ciel sucked in a deep breath and sank under the water. He screamed out his frustration in silent bubbles and held himself down there until his lungs burned for air and he was forced to surface.

The water had done all it could to ease his tension; at this point sleep would be more helpful than anything so Ciel reluctantly climbed out and toweled off. He had the sudden wild urge to dive under the covers and never come out, but he couldn't. If he didn't go out, he couldn't compete in challenges. If he didn't compete, he wouldn't be ranked. If he wasn't ranked, he could never be leader. Ciel set his jaw and narrowed his eyes. He _had_ to become leader. It was his legacy. As far as anyone could remember, his family had always been pack Alphas; his father was even a district leader under the North American Were Queen, Victoria. It would be a complete disappointment, no, embarrassment if Ciel failed to even rank. He was determined not to let his … disability change that.

The boy climbed into bed and lay flat on his back, staring hard at the canopy over his head. From outside his frosty window, crimson eyes watched with interest.

\---

Another week had passed without contact from Sebastian and Ciel was beginning to hope the vampire had moved on to other pursuits. The challenges were also starting to die down a bit. His dad said the first month was always the hardest because the Challenge was new; after a few weeks of constant fighting, young Weres mellowed as they realized just how long a year was. There would be plenty of time for fights and sneak attacks throughout the next 11 months, no need to wear oneself out early.

Ciel was strolling along the Riverwalk one windy afternoon sipping a hot chocolate when he spotted a familiar raven-haired figure bouncing up and down over the side of the bridge, bungee cord tied to his ankles, head bobbing perilously close to the frozen river. Ciel tilted his head at the sight. A vampire. Bungee jumping. Off a bridge. In the middle of winter. He genuinely did not know what to think about it beyond his sudden, intense desire not to deal with it. Shaking his head, he turned around and marched quickly back the way he came, hoping to sneak away before Sebastian spotted him. He thought he had, too, until the man in question suddenly stepped out from behind a tree directly in front of him.

"Hello."

"Ah!" Ciel jerked so hard his hot chocolate sloshed, burning his bare hand and splashing a few drops onto the front of Sebastian's black wool jacket.

Sebastian looked curiously from the cup to himself back to Ciel. "Is that a greeting where you come from?"

Ciel glared. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" He chugged the remainder of his drink before anything else could happen to it.

Sebastian smirked, a pleased expression that said he had fully intended to startle Ciel. "So sorry, I thought someone with your _abilities_ would have heard me coming."

Ciel eyed him, cautiously silent. It hadn't been a question so he didn't feel the need to respond … not that he would have anyway. He stepped wide around the tall man to throw his empty cup away.

"So, what are you up to this afternoon?" Sebastian asked companionably, falling in step with Ciel.

Contrary to what Sebastian had accused him of last week, Ciel most definitely did not have a death wish so he tried to respond neutrally. "Just walking around."

"How fortunate. That's exactly what I'm doing as well."

Ciel's eyes rolled and his shoulders drooped in exasperation but he didn't stop walking. The vampire's strange stalking irritated the piss out of him, but he knew damn well there was nothing he could do about it. Sebastian had proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt when he'd held Ciel against a wall like a leaf despite his Were-strength struggles. At least the freak wasn't trying to eat him.

"What would you like to talk about?" the vampire asked politely, looking down at Ciel, who stared pointedly straight ahead.

"Not in the mood to talk," the boy answered simply.

"Really? How odd. Most people who meet a supernatural for the first time don't shut up." Silence. "Though I suppose it's not all that new of an experience for _you_ , is it?" Ciel's brows pinched and he looked up at Sebastian questioningly. "I mean that Trancy boy, of course," the vampire said innocently, pressing a hand to his chest. "It's been a long time since I've come across a werewolf myself. I have to say, I would very much like to make his acquaintance. How do you know him?"

Ciel snorted. "He's not worth knowing, much less talking about."

"A real live werewolf, not worth knowing? You must be joking," Sebastian teased.

"You know what, I think I should introduce you two. See which one of you annoys the other to death first." Ciel laughed lightly at the mental image. Bratty little Alois would get eaten so fast it would be magnificent.

"Aw, are you trying to say I'm annoying?" Sebastian faux pouted, patting Ciel's head until the boy knocked his hand off.

"Immensely. Why are you so obsessed with me, anyway?"

Sebastian grinned broadly, displaying the delicate points of his incisors. "Because werewolves are always worth knowing."

Ciel skidded to a stop, staring into Sebastian's face in horrified silence. He gave himself a little shake and continued walking like nothing had happened. "I don't know what you mean."

"Werewolf? There wolf," Sebastian teased, smiling sharply. Ciel side-eyed him, not responding. "Oh, come now. Don't bother denying it. I can tell when people are lying."

"I didn't deny anything," Ciel pointed out.

"So you admit it?"

"I didn't _say_ anything," Ciel clarified.

"You neither confirm nor deny the accusations of wolf-hood?" Sebastian teased.

Ciel smirked. "Actually, I do deny it. I'm not a werewolf."

Sebastian blinked at him, sensing the truth of his statement. His heartrate was steady and the adrenaline that had spiked when he was first accused of being a werewolf was fading away. Ciel was not lying. However, Sebastian knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was. Most perplexing. "Tell me, you're not an elite spy trained in the art of lie-detector evasion, are you?"

Ciel cocked a brow, confused. "I'm twenty-freaking-one. And if I were, you wouldn't be able to tell I was lying anyway."

Sebastian hummed and tossed a hand up as if to say _fair point_.

They continued walking in silence until Ciel sighed, stopping abruptly as he caught sight of a distant figure. He looked up at Sebastian seriously. "Hey, I gotta do something. Can I ask you to leave me alone for a bit?"

The vampire was a bit taken aback at the sudden request. "Um, I suppose?"

"Good. Just, go do whatever's next on your insane immortal bucket list and I promise I'll spend some time with you in an hour, okay?"

Sebastian hummed as he considered the offer. The idea of Ciel willingly spending time with him was too good to pass up. "Agreed – so long as you actually talk. I can get silent brooding any time; I want a real conversation out of you."

Ciel huffed and made a shooing motion with his hands like he was chasing away a chicken. "Fine, fine, just scoot."

Mildly affronted and greatly amused, Sebastian 'scooted,' practically disappearing right before Ciel's eyes in typical Hollywood vampire fashion. The boy blinked at Sebastian's abrupt absence, once again grateful he wasn't on the creature's menu.

"Phantomhive!" the clear, cold voice of one of his packmates rang out, calling for his attention. Lawrence Bluewer stood in the middle of the cobbled Riverwalk, patiently waiting for Ciel's response. He was one of Ciel's, well not _friends_ exactly, but an older boy Ciel respected. They were both scholarly and placed brains firmly above brawn; a rare attribute for Weres. Of all the others his age, Ciel was certain Lawrence would provide the most challenge.

Ciel approached to a more reasonable distance before responding so he wouldn't have to shout. "Bluewer. This is a bit exposed for a challenge, isn't it?" He looked around at the bright, sunlit walk. Families with young children ambled past them, enjoying nature.

"This is not a challenge," Lawrence explained. "It is an invitation to one. I thought it would be more honorable than simply jumping you in the street like an animal."

Ciel nodded, appreciating the gesture. "Let's find a quieter place. Truce until we arrive?" The other young man nodded and walked up a hill with Ciel, heading for the nearby buildings to find an alley.

"I hear you've been doing surprisingly well," Bluewer commented.

"I'll pretend that's not insulting."

"It's not; I'm genuinely impressed. They say you haven't even transformed during a fight yet, is that true?" Ciel nodded, closed-lipped. Bluewer smirked. "Well, here's to hoping I can change that."

 _Fat freaking chance_ , Ciel thought sourly. He was careful not to let the other boy direct their path as they walked. Bluewer had agreed to a truce until they found a suitable location, but that didn't mean he hadn't set up a trap earlier with the intention of leading Ciel into it. Ciel subtly shifted directions a few times but detected no resistance from the other young man so he shrugged and stopped in the next alley. There were no people around and almost no traffic; this was as good as it would get on a sunny Wednesday afternoon in downtown. He gestured and Lawrence nodded, leading the way in and trusting Ciel not to attack his back. They stopped at opposite ends of the narrow bricked area, plenty of space between them.

"Any rules?" Bluewer asked, carefully setting his wireframe glasses off to one side on the gritty concrete.

"There are no rules in challenges," Ciel reminded him. The only rules were not to kill or intentionally do lasting damage. That last one could be a little hazy as most challenges took place without a witness or any way to prove intent, but most people were smart enough not to do it willy-nilly for fear of getting caught – the punishment for which was immediate and permanent banishment. Aside from those two stipulations, all is fair in a challenge.

Bluewer nodded. "Just thought I'd ask. Ready?"

"Go."

The word had barely left Ciel's mouth before Lawrence had crossed the space and was on top of him, swinging hard. He was _fast_. Ciel took a few seconds to regain his composure, in which time his opponent had already landed several heavy hits to his face and midsection. The metallic glint in his eye told Ciel that Lawrence was drawing on his animal spirit – not transforming, just lightly touching it to give himself an edge. Crafty. He had seen older Weres partially transform but never attempted it (much less anything this delicate) himself. Clearly Lawrence had spent years honing this skill, years Ciel as the runt of the litter hadn't had the benefit of. He'd only had his animal form for two weeks, dammit! Ciel frowned, childishly angry at the unfairness of being the youngest, smallest, and weakest.

Ciel growled, his own beast rising up reflexively at getting his ass thoroughly kicked. Sure, he could transform but that certainly wouldn't help matters. There was no way he could learn to do a partial transformation on the fly, so his only options were fully human or fully fucked. _Human it is_. Ciel blocked to the best of his ability, throwing in a few choice punches when able. He almost got Lawrence to trip once, but the elder caught himself before Ciel could press an opening.

 _I definitely need to work out a strategy for next time_ , Ciel thought as he resigned himself to getting pummeled. Lawrence was much smarter than Alois and much stronger than Ciel himself and obviously more skilled than any of the others. True, he didn't need to beat Lawrence to be in the top five, but if he could figure out a way to do it he'd definitely be able to beat anyone else.

Finally, his body gave out and he dropped to his knees. Ciel held up his hands. "I give." It probably would not have worked with any of the others, but Lawrence simply nodded, seeing no merit in continuing when he had clearly already won.

"Good fight, Phantomhive. You probably would have lasted longer if you'd transformed, though." He eyed Ciel curiously in the fading light, trying to work out his strategy. "Why didn't you?" He asked when the younger didn't respond.

Ciel smirked. "You'll find out soon enough." There was merit to letting other people wonder. Once his form was out of the proverbial bag there'd be no putting it back in so he was content to let his packmates speculate about how big and bad he secretly was for as long as possible. Maybe it would do some good; terrorize them into making mistakes around him.

Lawrence jerked his chin in the barest of nods, clearly not happy with Ciel's lack of sharing. "Until next time."

Ciel was too tired to respond. He just rested on his haunches, panting heavily as Bluewer collected his glasses and walked off into the sunset.

"Why didn't you, though?" an annoyingly familiar voice asked from above. Fortunately, Ciel was too tired to flinch. He let his head fall back until he spotted Sebastian hanging from the edge of a rooftop then sighed and flopped flat on his back, too tired for this shit. There was a soft _thump_ as Sebastian landed next to him. Inquisitive scarlet eyes bored into him as the vampire leaned over his face. "You did promise to talk," he reminded.

"You were supposed to leave me alone," Ciel countered.

The vampire smiled. "You told me to, quote, 'do whatever is next on my insane immortal bucket list' and watching two werewolves fight is pretty high up there."

Ciel grunted, sitting up. "I am not a werewolf," he repeated like a broken record.

"So you keep saying. You're obviously a were- _something_ though," Sebastian noted astutely. From observing the two boys' interaction, it sounded like their group had more than one type of animal. Intriguing.

Ciel rolled his eyes, not bothering to respond. He pushed awkwardly to his feet, using the wall for support. _Tsk_ -ing noises came from behind him and large hands settled on his shoulders, turning him around. "You are all messy," Sebastian noted with disapproval. He patted some of the dirt off Ciel's arms and combed his fingers through disheveled slate hair. A slender thumb ran across Ciel's split lip, collecting the smear of blood and popping it into Sebastian's mouth. Ciel's lip curled in disgust at the vampire's blissful expression and little moan. Sebastian's red eyes seemed to glow a brighter shade of red when he reopened them. "Delicious," he intoned, licking his lips as he eyed the various cuts littered over the pale skin before him.

Ciel's face was flat and hard, completely unamused. "Ciel is friend, not food," he stated firmly, not wanting the creature to get carried away.

Sebastian tilted his head. "You want to be my friend now?"

"Well, you keep saying how you don't want to eat me, so yeah, I assume you want to be friends or something." Ciel honestly had no idea how vampire minds worked but it was as good a guess as any. He sure didn't want to end up as food.

Grinning wickedly, Sebastian leaned in, bringing them nose-to-nose. The Were boy was predictably stubborn and unintimidated, refusing to back away. "Or something," Sebastian murmured throatily, staring hard at Ciel's bleeding mouth. He caught a brief flash of blue eyes widening as he pressed their lips together firmly. He slid his tongue back and forth over the bleeding lips, drinking down the heady taste of supernatural power and coaxing them open.

Ciel froze at first, startled, then struggled for a bit before giving in. Good _God_ could that man kiss! He had clearly put his time on Earth to good use; no one should be able to kiss so well. The hands that had been beating against Sebastian's chest stilled, fingers wrapping in his shirt to tug him closer. A tiny moan worked its way up Ciel's throat, startling him back to awareness.

"No!" he shouted suddenly, shoving Sebastian away and stumbling back a step. The creature just looked at him merrily, blood smeared around his mouth like lipstick. "And wipe your face; that's disgusting."

Sebastian rolled an abnormally long tongue over his lips and chin, eyes locked on Ciel. "Something the matter?" he asked when the little one flinched.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're _really_ creepy?"

Sebastian cocked a brow. "You would be the first."

Ciel snorted, running his own hands through his snarled hair to straighten it. "Well, you are." He tugged his ripped shirt straight and wiped his palms on his jeans before declaring it a lost cause. He didn't need a mirror to know he looked like shit. More than anything, he wanted to go home and clean up but he had promised Sebastian some of his time. "Come on, nutsy, let's go sit in the park."

"Nutsy," Sebastian repeated with a mildly offended air. Ciel had already turned and was walking out of the alley. Sebastian followed hot on his heels. "You are the rudest little thing I have ever met," he said to the back of the boy's head.

Ciel snickered, knowing full well the vampire could have easily caught and killed him if he were truly offended. Instead, he took his time selecting a park bench and sat, looking up at Sebastian. "You knocked out an angry werewolf with a wine bottle and I just caught you bungee jumping alone over a frozen river. Those are the two craziest things I've ever seen a person do and you did them both in the same week."

"Oh? So, tell me about your completely normal werewolf life, then," Sebastian challenged, eyes sparkling in amusement as he sat on the other end of the bench.

"I'm not a were–"

"Not a werewolf, yes, yes," Sebastian flapped his hand. "What animal are you, then?"

Ciel jerked back as if he'd been slapped, huffing out a little noise of complaint. "You can't just _ask_ someone that!"

Sebastian's brows drew together at Ciel's sudden offense. Werewolf etiquette? He'd never even considered such a thing. Fascinating. "I see. Apologies. I didn't know it was rude." Ciel eyed him for a moment before nodding in acceptance. "What can you tell me, then?"

Ciel shuffled in his seat, glad it was getting dark so his rumpled state would draw less attention. The presence of the vampire (not that any of his packmates would know he was a vampire) would also reduce the likelihood of more challenges for the time being so they were unlikely to be overheard by someone who could get him into trouble. There were obviously rules about sharing pack secrets, but he supposed some general information wouldn't hurt – especially since it was going to another supernatural. A sudden flash of curiosity made him perk up a bit, eyeing the vampire with renewed interest. Ciel didn't believe in giving something away for nothing, after all. "I'll answer yours if you answer mine."

A grin spread over Sebastian's face. "Quid pro quo? I'm game."

"There are a few things I won't talk about, though," Ciel warned.

"Likewise. Shall I start us off? Why are those boys attacking you?"

Ciel rolled his eyes, completely unsurprised that this was Sebastian's first question. "It's a pack thing. Every generation has to establish … dominance, for lack of a better word. We need to know where we all stand in relation to one another."

Sebastian nodded. "Makes sense."

Ciel snorted. "No, it really doesn't, but that's the way we do it. How old are you?"

Sebastian let out his own little offended huff. "Rude."

Blue eyes regarded him curiously. When it was clear Sebastian wasn't going to answer, he yielded and dug around in his head for a different question. He'd already asked why Sebastian was stalking him enough to know that the vampire was either bored or crazy, so that would be a wasted question. Feeling crafty, he asked, "Where were you during the Victorian period?"

Sebastian squinted, indenting his bottom lip with a fang as he thought. "When was that? 1800s? Industrial revolution. Um …" he snapped his fingers. "Paris, mostly." He nodded, pleased with himself before asking, "If you're not all wolves, what animals are you? – The general 'you' of were-kind, not you individually," he tacked on hastily.

Ciel chewed on his tongue before deciding it was okay. "Generally speaking, mostly wolves. That's why the name 'werewolf' is so common. However, we can be anything, really. Jungle cats, deer, I even saw a snake once."

Sebastian's crimson eyes lit up. "How interesting! What determines the animal?"

"Uh-uh-uh," Ciel chided, smiling at the man's enthusiasm. "My turn," he reminded, nearly laughing at the pout on the vampire's face. Continuing his stealthy, sideways line of questioning he softballed: "Paris sounds interesting. Were you there during the French Revolution, too?"

Sebastian hummed before shaking his head. "No, I missed that mess, thankfully," he said quickly before reiterating his question: " _Now_ what determines the animal?"

Ciel smiled, knowing the vampire wouldn't give up easily. That's okay, Ciel wouldn't either. "Fate? Luck? We don't really know, but it's not genetics. Most people think it's a reflection of a person's inner nature or something." Sebastian nodded, gears turning in his head. Ciel tossed out his next question while the other man was distracted. "I went to Italy last summer after I graduated college and loved the Baroque art in the Vatican. What were you doing during that period?"

Sebastian's attractive face pinched a bit. He looked pained for a moment before surrendering and asking, "When was that, again?"

"Sixteen to mid-seventeen hundreds."

Sebastian barked a laugh. "That's a huge chunk of time, kid. You might as well round up four old humans and ask them what they've done their _entire lives_. I can't possibly answer that."

Ciel flushed pink. It was a ridiculously stupid question when Sebastian put it that way … but he had gotten the answer he needed. "Yeah," he muttered, shuffling his feet, "sorry."

Sebastian just snorted. "Honestly. If I never hear another history question again it will be too soon."

Ciel tilted his head. "Shouldn't they be easy for you, though? You did live back then."

"Oh? And if I asked you exactly what you did on a specific Tuesday five years ago you would remember because you lived though it?" At Ciel's headshake, Sebastian concluded, "There you go. Just because I'm _old_ , as you so delicately put it, doesn't mean I can remember every fool thing I've ever done." He sniffed before continuing, "I do believe it's my turn now, though, and I want to know why you don't transform during a fight. From what that other boy said, it would help you."

Ciel grimaced. That question lead directly into the one thing he refused to talk about. Instead of explaining about his embarrassing form, he deflected it quasi-truthfully with: "I only got my animal form two weeks ago. I'm not really good at it yet."

Sebastian blinked at him. "Two weeks ago. Was that when I first met you?" Ciel nodded. "So that's what you were brooding about," he said with a look of understanding. "Hell of a weird time for it to show up though, isn't it?"

"Firstly, rude. Secondly, not at all – that was my twenty-first birthday. And thirdly, you just got three questions answered."

"Technically, they were all a part of one," Sebastian argued.

"Technically, there were three of them," Ciel countered stubbornly. Sebastian rolled his eyes and lifted a hand in defeat. "My first of three is: Have you ever been to Rome?"

"Yes," Sebastian answered succinctly, making Ciel kick himself for asking a yes-or-no question. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it.

"Secondly: When was the first time you went and what did you think of it?"

Sebastian's lips curled into the faintest of smirks. "A couple hundred years ago and it was hot and dirty. That was two, by the way."

Ciel pouted, folding his arms. "Those were very vague answers, though. Evasiveness goes against the spirit of the game."

"So does trying to trick me into answering a question I've already refused," Sebastian responded bluntly, making Ciel flush at getting caught red-handed. Grinning to show his sharp teeth by the light of the streetlamps, the older man offered, "You seem to be very interested in my age for some reason. I propose a trade: my age for your animal form."

Ciel stared at him, mouth slightly open. _No way_. He was only curious about Sebastian's age because the vampire was strangely secretive about it; he didn't actually care, certainly not enough to reveal _that_. "No deal."

Sebastian shrugged. "Very well, but no more funny business," he commanded, blood-red eyes boring into Ciel warningly until the boy nodded. "Explain why you're so secretive about your animal form."

Ciel's jaw clenched. He was getting real sick of this game. "You just said no more funny business."

"I didn't ask what it _was_ , just why you don't talk about it. Is it a cultural taboo or an etiquette issue or what?"

Ciel eyed the curious vampire for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I guess it's a bit like nudity. Everyone's comfortable with different levels, so it's kind of a personal choice."

Sebastian's gaze was eerily intent. "Because you believe it reveals your inner nature, you mean?" The boy tilted his head, considering for a moment before nodding. It wasn't his own personal reason, but it was a fair enough explanation for Weres at large. His pocket buzzed again, drawing the vampire's gaze. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

Ciel jumped at bit. "You can hear it?"

Sebastian snorted. "Probably better than you can."

Ciel ignored the jab and dug out his phone. "Hello? Yes. Yes, I'm fine." He sighed. "I'm fine, mom. Mother, I swear. Put dad on. Yeah, he beat me but I'm okay. I'll get him next time. See you guys in a bit." Ciel hung up and rubbed his eyes. He was dirty and tired and exhausted. Surely he'd filled his conversation promise by now, hadn't he?

"You look beat."

Ciel rolled his eyes up to give the vampire a dirty look for his word choice. "Thanks for rubbing it in." The creature smiled innocently at him. "I am tired, though, so I think I'm going to call it a night." He rose to his feet; Sebastian mirrored him perfectly. Ciel waved him off. "My car's just over that hill. I'll be fine on my own."

"Perfect. I'll walk you there."

"I just said I'll be fine on my own."

"Of course you will. I'll be there to make sure of it."

Ciel sighed but didn't bother protesting. It's not like he could stop Sebastian anyway, so he just ignored and him trudged toward his car. A white hand with glossy black nails shot out to hold the door closed when Ciel reached for the handle. Ciel closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning around to find himself face-to-neck with a man who genuinely did not seem to understand personal boundaries. He glared up, silently awaiting an explanation. What he got instead was another soul-melting kiss. He jerked back when his head started spinning from lack of oxygen. "Why do you keep doing that?" he demanded breathlessly, thoroughly confused.

"Because you're cute," Sebastian answered immediately. "Have a good night." He paused just long enough to run one finger along Ciel's cheek and vanished.

Ciel shuddered. From exhaustion. From the chill. From hormones. Take your pick. The very confused Were boy threw himself behind the wheel of his car and headed home, absently running his fingers over his tender lips while his mind ran in a million different directions. He needed to come up with a plan to beat Bluewer. This was definitely at the top of his list. He also needed to practice partial transformations. This could help him in his Bluewer planning. Thirdly, he needed to figure out why his heart was beating so hard at the thought of Sebastian. He frowned at that last thought. That … could wait a while. He pushed it to the side uncomfortably, refocusing on Challenge strategies.

He had just pulled his car into the garage when his mother ran out to greet him. He was hardly out of the vehicle when she enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. If he were human, he would have gotten bruises from it. "Mom," he gasped out.

"Thank God you're okay!"

He awkwardly patted her back. "Mom, you knew I was okay. You called me, remember?"

Ciel's father, living shadow to his mother, stepped into the doorway. "Where were you?"

Ciel's brows pulled together at the strange question. He looked from his father to his mother, who still hadn't let him go, and back. "Um, the Riverwalk, down by the old bridge. Why?"

"Were you with anyone?"

Ciel paused. He really didn't know how to explain Sebastian to his parents. Hell, he could barely understand the irritatingly gorgeous, madly insane, strangely clingy creature himself. "Not really?" he answered half questioningly before repeating: "Why?"

Vincent frowned. "Lawrence Bluewer is dead."


	2. Chapter 2

Lawrence's body had been found a few streets away from their fight. He had called his family to announce that he won his challenge against Ciel and was supposed to meet up with his friends at a bar a mile or two down the road. His friends were the ones who discovered his body, having gone looking for him when he didn't show. They found him some time while Ciel was driving home, which means he was probably murdered while Ciel was chatting with Sebastian. A shudder ran up Ciel's spine at the thought of how he'd been completely oblivious to something heinous happening so near him. It kept him from sleeping for days.

Naturally, Ciel was a prime suspect due to his location (within spitting distance of the body) and lack of alibi (because he had stupidly not wanted to struggle through explaining Sebastian to his parents). However, he was quickly dismissed as a possibility. 1: Lawrence had been the closest thing Ciel had to a friend in the pack. 2: If Ciel had killed him out of rage at losing the challenge or to cover up his loss, he would have done so _before_ Lawrence announced the outcome. 3: (And most disturbingly) Lawrence's father had taken one look at Ciel the night he returned home and declared there was not enough blood on him to be the culprit.

While those three things would have been nowhere near enough for a human court, the werewolf elders all agreed that is was extremely unlikely Ciel had committed the murder. Lacking any real motive or evidence to tie him to it, they gave him a firm "We'll be watching you" and let it drop.

In the following weeks, Ciel wished the others would as well.

His nerves were on edge as he walked down the street one sunny January afternoon. It had been over two weeks since anyone had challenged him and he knew precisely why. The low murmurs that had stopped when he entered a room had turned into cruel jeers. His peers had gone from quietly speculating about him to openly taunting him for "getting away with it" – though none of them were brave enough to fight him for fear of ending up like Lawrence Bluewer.

Ciel snarled. He would never win a Top Five spot if the others kept avoiding him like this. He paused to angrily kick the sidewalk before continuing on to his favorite cake shop.

He didn't have much of an appetite, but he'd spent most of his time cooped up indoors lately and desperately needed to get out. Ciel purchased a foamy latte and the biggest hunk of Devils' Food cake he'd ever seen in a pathetic attempt to cheer himself up. It was cold as balls outside but he refused to exchange one indoor prison for another so he sat on the patio, making the employees shake their heads at the seemingly eccentric boy. The sun was shining brightly on his face, but he couldn't feel its heat. Ciel sipped his coffee, letting it warm him from the inside instead. He took a tentative bite of the cake despite not really wanting it. He had to admit it was rich and smooth in his mouth. At any other point in his life he probably would have loved it, but today it just tasted like ash.

"Oh, what do we have here?" an irksome, lilting voice called from behind him, making Ciel wince. "It looks like a murderer treating himself for a job well done." Alois Trancy stepped in front of Ciel with his usual posse in tow. Maurice, Cheslock, and Clayton had taken to following Alois around after Lawrence's death, all whipped into a frenzy and banded together by Alois adamant claims of Ciel's guilt. "You know who used to really like chocolate," Alois said pensively, finger raised to his cheek, "Bluewer. Too bad he's not here to have any."

Ciel ground his teeth. "I didn't kill him," he snarled, staring hard at his cake.

Alois gasped, "What was that? Maurice, did you hear something?"

The white-blond-haired boy hummed. "No, I don't think so."

Ciel's eyes glared up, boring into Alois. "I _didn't kill him_ ," he repeated vehemently.

"Wait," Maurice put a hand to his ear, "I think I heard it that time. It sounded like a lying little bitch. Is that what you're talking about, 'Lois?"

"Exactly," Alois responded, eyes locked on Ciel's. "No one likes a liar, Faggothive. Just fess up to what you did already."

"I didn't do _anything_!" Ciel shouted, pushing to his feet. His chair slid back with a sharp screech on the cement. Ciel looked each one of the boys in the eye. "If you want to fight me, let's fight!"

Maurice laughed cruelly. "No one here's that dumb, murderer." He swiped Ciel's cake onto the ground and stomped on it. Alois joined in, knocking Ciel's half empty latte over onto him with an insincere "Oops." The others upended the tables, tossed the chairs haphazardly, and knocked into Ciel with their shoulders as they pushed past.

"You better watch yourself," Cheslock, the emo one with a black-and-white Mohawk, warned as the group walked off, whooping and cackling amongst themselves.

Two employees rushed out with brooms hefted as Ciel's packmates retreated, attention drawn by the rowdy boys flinging patio furniture right outside the shop window. Ciel waved them off, assuring them that he was fine. He helped them right the fallen chairs and rejected offers of free replacement food. His appetite was well and truly gone now. He stared forlornly up and down the road before deciding just to head home. It's not like staying out here could do any good.

Ciel was halfway home with his head deep in a funk, when an unfamiliar low voice called out to him. He snapped his eyes up to see a vaguely familiar young Were standing in his path. He was tall and broad with muscular shoulders. Even at this distance Ciel could make out vibrant green eyes and slicked back blond hair on the older boy. "Um, you're Herman, right?" Ciel guessed. He knew he'd seen this young man around pack events but they'd never talked before.

"Indeed. I am Herman Greenhill," the other introduced himself with a nod, "and I am here to challenge you."

Ciel perked up. "Really? Even though…"

Herman shook his head. "You didn't kill Lawrence; the others are just being stupid. Avoiding you is a dishonorable tactic I refuse to participate in." The brawny young man pulled his fists up into a boxer's stance. "Ready?"

Ciel grinned, dropping into a crouch. "Ready."

The two charged, meeting in the middle. Greenhill swung hard, fists whistling by Ciel's face as he bobbed and dodged. The only good thing about being shunned for two weeks was it left him with plenty of time to practice. While Ciel as nowhere as good a Lawrence (and probably never would be, he admitted to himself), he had gotten comfortable enough with his form to do a partial transformation. Going full out would have been disastrous, but taking on some of his animal's traits was immensely helpful. Case in point, Ciel snapped out suddenly with his newly sharp teeth as one of Greenhill's fists flew by. His strong fangs tore through thin underarm skin and made the other Were jerk back.

"Damn, kid," Herman panted, pulling back to examine the damage. "How did you – " he cut off as he saw Ciel smiling with a mouthful of bloody fangs. His green eyes widened in appreciation. "Smooth," he commented briefly before resuming his onslaught. Most of his slow, heavy punches were dodged, but the ones that caught Ciel were doozies. Both boys panted; Herman from exertion, Ciel from getting the wind knocked out of him.

Moving on to phase two of his attack, Ciel slowly uncurled his clenched fists to free his claw-tipped fingers, still keeping them hidden from Herman. As soon as he spotted an opening, Ciel swiped twice in quick succession. One tore across Herman's belly, the other caught his jaw. They were light little swipes but the other boy staggered back, stunned at the sudden sting. He lifted a hand to his chin, pulling back bloody fingers and smiling. "Oh, so that's how it is, huh? I'm honored to be the first person you transformed for." He made a mock bow, eyes never leaving Ciel. "I'm afraid I don't possess the ability to do pieces though, so you're getting the whole enchilada." With that vague warning he sprang, throwing himself through the air in a high arc and landing on Ciel as a giant golden lion.

Ciel didn't even pause. He brought his knees up and used Herman's momentum to roll them over in a summersault, flinging himself free of the huge beast. Squatting down with his fangs bared and claws extended, Ciel realized he was in a real pickle. The lion had bigger fangs and sharper claws along with a stronger, more stable body. There was no way he could beat Herman head-on like this; he need to think of something tricky, and fast. He examined the residential street with quick little flicks of his eyes as they circled each other. Short brick-walled fences. Trees rustling overhead in the breeze. Low curbs. Smooth asphalt. _Come on, Phantomhive, think!_ He commanded himself. _How do you beat a lion? If not from head-on, then where? Behind? The side? – Above!_ He threw himself at one of the fences, practically running up it to swing up onto a tree branch before flinging himself straight down on the large cat's back and looping both arms around its thick neck to cut off its air.

Greenhill went wild. He snarled, whipping his head back and forth ineffectively, forward-facing limbs incapable of reaching behind him. Ciel hunkered down, pressing his face firmly to the back of the beast's neck and out of reach. The lion shimmied, hunching and twisting before rolling fully over onto his back to pin Ciel with his weight. It was uncomfortable but Ciel bore with it and looped his legs between the lion's, keeping them spread and preventing the deadly back claws from reaching his vulnerable human body. He squeezed for all he was worth until Greenhill stopped fighting.

"Yield?" he asked, not relaxing his grip in the slightest.

There was a long moment of silence before Greenhill melted slowly back into his human form. He slapped the ground twice in concession, gasping a shaky breath when Ciel slowly peeled off of him. "God _damn_ you're good," he panted hoarsely as he sat up, rubbing his abused throat. "You're the first one to beat my lion."

Seeing that Herman wasn't going to continue the fight, Ciel flopped onto his back to breathe for a minute. "Not by much. You're one tough cat."

Herman smiled down at him, ruffling the kid's blue-gray hair affectionately. "I'm glad I got a chance to fight you. Results might be different next time, though."

Ciel coughed out a hiccupping laugh, finally sitting up himself. "Fair enough. Thanks for not avoiding me like a douche."

Herman stood and pulled Ciel up, clapping him on the back. "The others will come around. I'll give them a talking-to about sportsman-like conduct myself if necessary. Lawrence was my best friend; if I don't blame you then they have no right to."

Ciel's eyes widened. He had had no idea – not that he should have, he wasn't that close to Lawrence himself. "Y-yeah, thanks," he stuttered as Greenhill walked off, waving a hand over his shoulder in acknowledgement. Smiling like a fool, Ciel started toward his house again with a new pep in his step.

"I'm home!" he called as he opened the front door.

"In the kitchen," Rachel called back. He followed the sound of her voice to find his mother looking the very picture of domesticity. Her hair was pinned up, frilly white apron on over a house dress, dinner preparations splayed out across the counters.

"This looks interesting," he noted with amusement as his flustered mother measured ingredients and scowled at a cookbook.

"Hush, you. Angelina is coming to visit next week and I'm going to blow her socks off with mom's chicken casserole or die trying." Rachel dumped the perfectly measured ingredients into a large bowl, stirring hard. She and Angelina, her sister, were very close – and secretly very competitive, not that either one of them would admit it aloud. Aunt Ann came to visit every February and the two killed each other with kindness while also trying to crush each other into the dirt. Ciel leaned against a counter, chucking as he watched his mother shove the filled casserole dish into the oven and blow a fallen strand of hair out of her face. "How was your – Ciel! What happened?" her dark blue eyes, a mirror of his own, widened as she finally looked up at him.

He grinned stupidly. "I beat Herman Greenhill."

"You – are you – of course you are," she sputtered before shaking her head and smiling. "I'm glad the other children are playing with you again."

Ciel groaned. " _Mother_. I'm an adult. Don't talk to me like a toddler."

She walked around the center island to pinch his cheeks with her flour-dusted fingers. "Yes, you are," she said in a baby voice to tease him. "You're my big, bad, little werewolf man."

Ciel rolled his eyes up in agony. "Where's dad?"

She glanced at the kitchen clock. "Still at work. He'll be home in half an hour."

"I'm going to go clean up. Call me when dinner's ready." With that, Ciel escaped to the safety of his room. He leaned against the closed door, taking a deep breath. A pleased grin crept back onto his face as he thought about meeting –and beating! – Herman today. It, along with the young man's promise to clear things up for him, breathed life back into Ciel. He now had hope that things would get better.

Ciel gave himself a once-over in the mirror and sniffed his armpit. While his clothes weren't torn or dirty, they did stink of sweat and lion. Cats. Blah. He crinkled his nose, deciding to shower and change. He scrubbed quickly but thoroughly in the shower to get the awful stench of _feline_ off of him before wrapping a towel around his waist and padding barefoot into his closet.

_Click._

His ears perked up and he held perfectly still. Water drops _plopped_ onto the carpet but everything else was perfectly silent. Shrugging, he turned back to his clothes.

_Click-click._

Ciel whipped around, eyes darting over his room. Empty. But where was the noise coming from? Motion caught his eye as another series of _clicks_ sounded against the glass of his second story window, making his jaw drop open. Perched at an unnatural angle outside his house hung Sebastian, tapping on the glass with a hard black fingernail. The vampire waved when Ciel looked at him. Curiosity pulled the Were across the room and made him crack the window to look up and ask, "What are you doing here?"

"I missed you."

"So you followed me home?" Ciel asked, mildly disturbed.

The black-haired man held up a smallish square box. "I brought you cake," he drawled enticingly.

Ciel blinked at him, repeating: "You _followed_ me _home_?"

"With cake."

"That doesn't make it better."

"Do you not like cake, then?"

"Of course I like cake! I just don't appreciate being followed," Ciel grumbled, folding his arms stubbornly.

"Not to be rude, but this isn't the most comfortable position. Could we possibly discuss this inside?" Sebastian said reasonably, as if he weren't hanging upside-down and uninvited outside a naked stranger's house.

Ciel threw up his hands. "Why not? My day could always use a little more crazy." He turned and walked back toward his closet, leaving the vampire to find his own way in. He was mildly curious how the creature would manage it but he didn't have long to wonder. In a flash, Sebastian was before him, cake box gone. Ciel tried not to jump but the vampire's grin told him he had failed. Graceful fingers played softly with the stray water droplets along his shoulders. Sebastian's light touches and hungry eyes made the hairs on the back of Ciel's neck stand up. The Were pushed the larger man square in the chest but he didn't budge. "Creep," Ciel muttered, turning himself to walk around the new obstacle in his room. The vampire wrapped his long arms around Ciel's waist as he passed, pulling the young man's back firmly against his chest so he could bury his nose in the nape of Ciel's neck. Sebastian hummed contentedly.

"I swear I'll scream if you don't let me go _right now_ ," Ciel threatened, squirming. A wet tongue ran up the knobs of his spine in response and Ciel shuddered, instantly ceasing his struggles.

"I don't hear screaming," Sebastian purred at Ciel's stillness. He traced a single finger up Ciel's chest, circling a nipple until it hardened. Ciel gasped in spite of himself. The vampire pulled one of the Were boy's earlobes into his mouth to run his retracted fangs over it. His fingers tweaked the hardened nub on his chest, making Ciel pant like a dog. Sebastian smirked at the comparison.

All thoughts of resistance had fled Ciel's mind at the gentle, teasing touches. He couldn't even remember the last time someone touched him like this and it felt _good_. After a month of stressing and struggling, it was exactly what he needed. One of his hands clutched Sebastian's thigh, the other settled along the arm playing with his nipple. He rested his weight against the creature's chest, lolling his neck further to the side in submission.

Sensing his acceptance, Sebastian relaxed his other arm's grip around Ciel's waist to run exploratory fingers over his flat stomach. "Mm, very nice," he murmured into Ciel's ear, running his tongue over the shell of cartilage and making the Were shiver. Sebastian prodded the edge of the towel gently, slipping his black-tipped fingers underneath. He slid them back and forth from hipbone to hipbone to give Ciel plenty of time to stop him. When no protest arose, he flexed his hand, knocking the towel loose. Sebastian hummed appreciatively at the sight of Ciel's arousal, growing hot and hard between his creamy thighs. He ran both hands teasingly over the boy's protruding hipbones and down to his soft inner thighs, bypassing his groin. He slid his fingers up and down, drawing meaningless patterns, circling ever closer but never touching where Ciel most wanted it. He ran his fingers through the light dusting of curls at the base of his cock and brushed frustratingly softly across the tight balls below it, avoiding direct contact no matter how much Ciel squirmed. At last, he retracted his hands and stepped back.

Ciel made a confused sound and turned around to stare up at him with a combination of disappointment and frustration. "What? Why'd you stop?"

"We don't have to continue if you don't want it. I'm not monster enough to force myself on you."

Ciel stared silently at him for a moment before grabbing the lapels of Sebastian's black jacket and shoving his face into the vampire's. "Oh, hell no. You started this and you're going to finish it." He pushed Sebastian roughly back onto the bed and Sebastian let himself be pushed. He felt the cardboard cake box crush under his shoulder and genuinely did not care. He swatted the damned thing away while small, determined fingers robbed him of his clothes. Half the buttons were pinched open, the other half pinged across the room in Ciel's enthusiasm. Blunt teeth scraped indiscriminately over his torso as rounded nails dragged down his sides. The Were's mouth clamped down just above Sebastian's right nipple, hard enough to leave a mark on anyone other than a vampire. Sebastian closed his eyes, moaning.

Ciel smirked, pleased with himself for making Sebastian lose his composure, turnabout being fair play and all that. He yanked the waistband of the vampire's slacks down slightly and latched his mouth onto the barely exposed head of Sebastian's member without warning.

"S-shit!" the older man stuttered in surprise, slapping a hand to the back of Ciel's head.

The Were rolled his tongue over the just the tip vigorously, sucking hard. When Sebastian's pants reached his desired pitch, Ciel sat back abruptly. He chuckled at the man's disappointed whine. "I do believe it's time to finish what you started." Ciel ran his own hand over his neglected length, tossing his head back for show. Red eyes locked onto the motion, the vampire's tongue flicking out to wet his lips as he watched Ciel jerk himself off, neck bared. The Were panted and groaned erotically, rapidly eroding Sebastian's limited self-control. In the blink of an eye, the blue-eyed boy found himself flat on his back, wrists pinned above his head, Sebastian looming over him. His head spun at the sudden change of position.

"Excuse me, but that's my job," the vampire reprimanded. He delivered a punishing kiss to Ciel's parted lips, making the Were squirm beneath him. Sebastian pressed his hips down into the motion, enjoying the friction.

"Better get to it then," Ciel panted when he was released.

Sebastian paused to growl at him before slipping down between his legs. He was tempted to tease Ciel some more to teach him a lesson but he also wanted to bed the boy again in the future so he behaved. He wrapped cool fingers around Ciel's twitching cock to hold it steady and ran his tongue liberally up and down the shaft before kissing the spongy crown. Ciel hissed and moaned at the attention, his little noises driving Sebastian mad. The vampire licked and sucked sloppily to coat his fingers in saliva and slid them smoothly down to rub at Ciel's tight little hole. Ciel cried out his name in response and Sebastian's eyes burned hellish red. Gentle lips slid up and down the smooth shaft in his mouth to protect it from his freshly extended fangs. This kid was driving him absolutely wild.

"Come on, grandpa. Hurry up," Ciel whined, bucking his hips against the fingers and driving his cock further down the vampire's throat.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed, depleted self-control hanging on by a thread. He pushed both fingers in quickly, much more suddenly than he normally would have. He wanted to prepare the mewling, wriggling boy while he still had half a mind to do so, a feat that became increasingly difficult when he felt the slick, tight heat squeezing his fingers.

"Bastard," Ciel panted at the rough intrusion, still rutting his hips against the hand despite his harsh word.

Sebastian crammed a third finger in there in response, stretching and curling and scissoring as Ciel hissed and cussed at the sudden burning. It was too much, too fast and they both knew it, but it was better than the alternative. Sebastian could only stand one scant minute of it before announcing, "Unless you want me to take you dry, I suggest you pause your profanity to tell me where your lube is."

"Side table," Ciel huffed. "You fucker."

Sebastian chuckled, using his vampiric speed to retrieve it and undress himself in a flash. To Ciel it just appeared that the man was suddenly naked and magically holding a bottle. His harangue cut off abruptly and he stared wide-eyed. Sebastian looked like a marble statue come to life, all sleek lines and hairless white flesh perfectly proportioned in every way. It was incredibly hot … and kind of disturbing. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, telling him something was Not Right.

"Change your mind?" Sebastian asked at the sudden silence. He breathed in slowly, taking this moment of stillness to cool down his predator instincts before he mauled the boy.

Ciel mutely shook his head. He sat up to curiously run his hands over Sebastian's chiseled hips and down his smooth, muscular thighs. The vampire held patiently still, allowing Ciel's gentle exploration. Little fingers ran up his sides and down his chest and abs, entranced by the feel of soft skin over unnaturally hard muscle. The light touches made Sebastian hum in pleasure, eyes falling closed. Ciel's blue eyes stared up at his finely sculpted face unobserved, watching the man's mouth fall open as his fingertips brushed delicately over the velvety flesh of his arousal. It was thick and heavy in his hand, the tip glistening with precome and the remnants of Ciel's saliva. He traced the veins with his fingers before curling one hand around it, pumping to feel the subtle ridges along the sides. His own cock twitched at the thought of how it would feel inside him.

Sebastian's breath caught and his eyes flashed open. "That's enough of that," he said huskily, removing Ciel's hand. Ciel started to argue but was silenced by a hungry look. Sebastian stared him down with glowing ruby eyes as he slicked up his length, intentions clear. Ciel shivered in anticipation and fought the urge to look away. Strong hands hooked under his knees, flipping him onto his back without warning. "I want to see your face while I'm in you." The words sent a tingle down Ciel's spine. Sebastian guided his dripping tip to Ciel's stretched hole, dragging it around and around to tease them both. He broke before Ciel did and drove it in, sheathing himself in one quick thrust. Impulse control was not his strong suit at all.

Ciel grunted, face twisting in discomfort. Three rushed fingers really hadn't been enough. Thankfully, Sebastian had stilled for the moment, panting hard.

"Can I –"

"Hang on."

Sebastian bit his lip as he struggled not to move, sending a bead of blood running down his chin. He could feel the last wisps of his sanity floating away as those hot, quivering walls massaged him. He wasn't in the habit of denying himself, but really didn't want to hurt this boy. He squeezed his eyes closed, leaning down on his elbows to kiss at Ciel's neck. "Now?" he begged in Ciel's ear, barely rocking.

Ciel snorted. "Fine." It would hurt for a minute, but it was nothing his accelerated healing couldn't handle. He winced as Sebastian pulled out slightly, watching Ciel's face as he gently slid back in. He set a slow and steady pace, listening eagerly as Ciel's grunts of pain melted into moans of pleasure. He sped up bit by bit until their hips were slapping together and Ciel was practically howling. Sebastian shoved his tongue into that wailing mouth and stroked his pretty pink cock, determined to make Ciel come first to apologize for his rough start. He canted his hips and Ciel jerked at the new angle. Sebastian smirked, brushing over his new favorite spot with every snap of his hips until the boy was a shivering mess.

"Sebastian!" Ciel gasped, digging his nails into the man's biceps. "I'm – I'm coming!" Sebastian pumped his hips and fist faster, driving Ciel over the edge and groaning at the feel of his inner walls constricting as he came in his hand.

With three more hard thrusts Sebastian found his own completion. He rode out his orgasm with a series of slow rocks before collapsing onto Ciel. The vampire wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him firmly to his chest and nuzzling into the crook of Ciel's neck.

"Somehow I knew you'd be a cuddler," Ciel noted dryly. Sebastian squeezed him in response, content to just lie still for a moment. For the second time that day Ciel was glad he didn't crush easily. Over 200 pounds of rock-hard vampire seemed determined to smother him but the Were bore with it, wondering absently if he was suffering from some strange form of Stockholm Syndrome. He stared blankly up at his ceiling, running his fingers through the soft black hair on his shoulder as he tried not to think about it. This was nice. All his tension from the past month had faded away.

Eventually Sebastian's stillness turned into affectionate kisses over his chest and neck. Ciel smiled, on the verge of laughing at the tickling sensation before Sebastian returned to his usual strangeness. "May I bite you?" he murmured into the soft skin of Ciel's neck. Fangs grazed lightly over his pulse point.

Ciel pulled back as much as he could with the large man wrapped around him. "Um, no."

Sebastian tilted his head, garnet eyes inquisitive. "Why not?"

"Why would I let you?" Ciel fidgeted, trying to scoot away.

Sebastian licked Ciel's drying come off his fingers. "You're delicious." The boy's essence truly was divine.

"And you're weird again. Thanks." Ciel rolled his eyes, using both legs and an arm to lever the vampire off of him.

Sebastian leaned over the other side of the bed and scooped something off the ground, turning back around to hold up the sad, crushed box from earlier. "I brought you cake," he reminded hopefully.

Ciel laughed. "So not happening." He climbed off the bed and lifted his towel from the floor to wipe himself down. Footsteps approached and he braced himself for another onslaught of pleading. Instead, a knock sounded on the door.

"Ciel?" his mother called.

"Don't come in!" he shouted, rushing over to flip the lock before she could open the door.

"Dinner's ready."

"I-I'll be right down," he called through the door, scrambling back into the closet to throw on some clothes.

"Okay. Your father says your special friend can come, too."

Ciel's eyes bugged and his mouth dropped open in horror. He silently turned and pressed his face into the wall, letting out a keening whine and resigning himself to death by embarrassment. Of course his father's freaky werewolf hearing would have heard them going at it. They hadn't even tried to be quiet. "Kill me," he whispered, banging his head slightly. When he turned back around, he found Sebastian fully dressed (buttons somehow reattached) and smiling broadly. "No!" he said forcefully, pointing a finger at the vampire.

"She did say I was invited."

"This is all your fault. No."

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow. "I do believe you are the one who threw me onto the bed and tore my clothes off like an animal."

Ciel buried his face in his hands. "Oh, god."

"You already said that. Many times."

Ciel glared up at him, face bright red. "I am not sitting through a dinner full of those comments."

Sebastian gave a Cheshire grin. "So you're saying I can come if I behave?"

Ciel made a face of pure anguish. "Please – please just go. Go away. Please."

Sebastian chuckled, petting Ciel's head affectionately. "Alright, love. Alright." He pulled Ciel in for one last hug.

"Clingy," the little Were grumbled against his chest. Sebastian made for the door, halted by Ciel's cry of, "Uh-uh! Back out the way you came."

"The window? That's not very dignified." Sebastian gave a little pout, clearly wanting to go downstairs and stir up trouble.

Ciel pointed firmly at the window, unamused. "You should have thought of that when you crawled in. Now shoo." Sebastian gave a playful hiss before disappearing, the window banging shut after him. Ciel stared after him, giggles bubbling up. The vampire might be crazy but he was certainly entertaining. Shaking his head, Ciel trudged downstairs.

"Hey, stud," Vincent drawled playfully as he walked into the dining room.

Ciel's ears turned pink. "Hi dad," he muttered to the floor as he shuffled to his usual seat.

"Where's your friend, honey?" Rachel asked, looking at the door and frowning when no one followed Ciel in.

"Er – had to go," Ciel mumbled, reaching out hastily to ladle some of the casserole onto his plate. "This looks great."

Ignoring his attempted change of topic, she gave him a hard look. "Ciel Phantomhive, did you just kick that young lady out after using her?"

Vincent snickered and Ciel stammered, "What? Mom, no!"

Her hard blue eyes bore into him. "You better not have. I know we raised you with better manners than that."

Ciel lifted his hands placatingly. "I swear. It wasn't like that at all."

Rachel relaxed a bit. "Alright, then. I do wish you had let us meet her, though." Ciel hummed a non-response and filled his mouth with food so he wouldn't have to talk. This tactic backfired, though, when Rachel asked, "What's her name?"

Face stuffed with chicken, Ciel could only frantically shake his head at his dad, who grinned devilishly as he said, "Sebastian." Ciel let his head droop over his plate.

"Seb – _oh!_ " Rachel blinked in surprise. "Honey, I'm sorry. I had no idea." Vincent snickered again and Rachel flicked her clean cloth napkin at his shoulder in irritation. "And you! You let me think he was with a girl up there!"

Vincent looked away and whistled innocently, clearly pleased with himself.

Rachel reached across the table to lay a hand on Ciel's. "Sweetie, it's okay. I'd still like to meet him."

Face pink, Ciel looked up to awkwardly explain, "It's not that. It's just …" How could be possibly explain Sebastian in a way his mother would understand? _He's my batshit insane vampire stalker I just used for sex. It's cool, though, because I blabbed pack secrets to him and he knows I'm a Were_. Yeah, that would go over well. "Um, he's kind of new and I'm not really sure what we are. I don't want to complicate things."

Thankfully, she smiled and squeezed his hand, accepting his generic response. "Okay, take your time. Now, about this next full moon, the Harcourts are having a get-together for the kids …"

Ciel sank down into his chair, scowling as she spoke. He knew exactly what he was going to do next weekend and it was most definitely _not_ revealing his animal form to everyone and their grandmothers. Ciel had always been an intensely private person and his … situation … made him even more so. He had spent his first two involuntary transformations alone and by God that was exactly how he planned to spend the rest of them. No one knew his animal spirit, not even his father, though Ciel was sure the man had some suspicions.

Young Weres had little control over their animal spirits at first. The change hit them randomly once their bodies reached physical maturity (usually before their twenty-first birthday) and then again every full moon until they had experienced it enough to stop it from naturally occurring while the moon's pull was strongest. Ever the late bloomer, Ciel's first change came dead on the morning of his twenty-first birthday and was impressively underwhelming. His lip curled at the memory.

He fully intended to closet himself away in his room and spend the whole time fighting to regain human form. The sooner he stopped spontaneously devolving into that useless thing, the better.

Ciel sat patiently through dinner before excusing himself. He headed instinctively for the stairs to retreat back into his room only to pause with his hand on the banister, one foot raised. Remembering what he just did up there, he turned around and headed outside for some air while he gathered his thoughts.

He definitely didn't like Sebastian. Not like that, anyway. The vampire was quirky and entertaining … but also really fucking creepy and annoying. Ciel pulled a face. Part of him was upset that he'd given into the creature's advances, but there'd been no harm in it. Ciel had needed to let off some steam and Sebastian was ready and willing; that's all there was to it. It's not like he had to marry the oddball just because they screwed. Still … it was clear that Sebastian wanted something from him and it irked Ciel that he couldn't figure out what. Ciel kicked a pebble and watched it bounce along the frosty concrete in front of him. He felt like he was missing something.

Ciel made it to the street sign before turning on his heel to head back home, mind no more at ease than when he left. He half expected Sebastian to pop out of nowhere and heckle him but he didn't. The evening was silent and still, people cloistered away inside for warm meals on a chilly night. Ciel hummed tunelessly as he headed home, his steps echoing loudly in the quiet subdivision. A thump pulled his attention to the other side of the street and he paused, listening hard as he rolled his eyes over the empty sidewalk. Frowning he walked over, keeping his eyes peeled for traps. A boot stuck out from the edge of one bricked fence and Ciel tilted his head, looking around for who could have thrown it and why. He tried to lift it with two fingertips to examine it, but couldn't; it was too heavy. Dread filled his stomach and he felt strangely out of body as he sidestepped through the gate to look.

Adam Cheslock was dead.

His normally wild eyes glazed over, distinctive black-and-white Mohawk tangled and dirty, Cheslock lay crumpled on the cold hard ground with his neck slashed almost to the bone. His shoulders were a mess of ground meat and chunks of flesh had been ripped out of his arms.

Ciel gagged, a walled off part of his mind glad for the cold that kept any smell from reaching his nose. Help. He needed help. After a few panicked breaths, he nodded, backing away. Stumbling, tripping, and sometimes crawling, he flung himself back toward his own house. "Dad, dad!" he called as soon as he flung the front door open. His vocal chords were tight and his voice was barely above a whisper, but his father heard him and ran to his panicked son's side, gripping his shoulders tightly.

"Ciel! What is it, son? What's wrong?"

"It's Cheslock. He's dead." Ciel pointed behind him, out the open door. "Out there, in front of one of the houses." Vincent nodded and walked out, not bothering to grab a coat or ask what house. He let his wolf spirit guide and warm him.

Ciel stared numbly after him, thankful he hadn't been asked to help. He closed the door and looked around for his mother like a child needing comfort, waiting for her to come around the corner as she always did when he returned home. After a few moments of being alone he realized she was probably already in bed. He swallowed, not sure what to do. He ended up standing awkwardly in the foyer, waiting for his father to return.


	3. Chapter 3

When Vincent returned, it was with three other elders. To say they were suspicious of Ciel would have been an understatement. Matters only got more complicated when Alois and his gang burst in to fling accusations at Ciel like feces. By midnight, the Phantomhive household was in an uproar. The entire pack had been called to discuss this latest turn of events and civility was hanging on by its fingernails. Their discussions often spilled over into arguments, one of which had awoken Rachel early on. She sat quietly in one corner watching with wide eyes as emotional Were-creatures went at each other's throats – mostly metaphorically, sometimes literally.

Alois had made the mistake of admitting his group and been bullying Ciel when he offered it up as motive for why Ciel would have killed Cheslock. His parents provided him with the alibi that he'd only been alone for fifteen minutes on his walk, not nearly enough time to hunt down, subdue, and brutally murder a boy who was known to be strong and violent. While everyone naturally questioned the family-provided alibi, the physical evidence once again seemed to fall in Ciel's favor. There was nowhere near enough blood on him or around Cheslock for Ciel to have committed the attack then and there. Someone had clearly murdered the boy elsewhere and dropped him in the primarily Were subdivision.

This led directly into the next question: were these attacks random or a threat of some kind?

So far two Were boys of different animal types from different families had been killed in two different places on two different days and there seemed to be no connection between them whatsoever. With no real time, motive, or evidence to tie Ciel to the crimes, it could have just as easily been any of the other boys – or an outsider altogether. It seemed like the only things they knew were what they _didn't_ know.

By 1:00 A.M. everyone was cranky and irritable. The factions were pretty evenly divided between those who wanted to call in human help, those who wanted to bring in another supernatural (like the Green Witch a few of them had heard rumors about), and those who wanted to keep everything strictly pack business. They'd been running their arguments around in circles for hours and were no closer to a solution than when they'd started so Vincent called it. The only thing everyone had agreed on was that no one should go out alone any more. All pack members, especially those participating in the current Challenge, had to travel in groups of two or more so that everyone had both protection and an alibi at all times.

Ciel was yawning broadly by the time the last pack members cleared out. The elders had hung behind to deliver another firm warning to Ciel despite their public declaration of his innocence. Even his usually jovial father had looked at him gravely as the others warned him against getting tangled up in any more "unfortunate coincidences." He nodded meekly. If it were within his own power to do so, Ciel would have never even thought about a dead body again.

Unfortunately, that was not something he could control. Nearly every night since, he woke up in a cold sweat, dreaming about Cheslock's corpse. Sometimes Lawrence was there, too, just as stiff and bloody. What happened in the dreams varied, but they were all horrible and terrifying.

On the ninth night, he woke up shaking and sobbing with his heart beating frantically in his chest like a bird trying to break free. Ciel gasped lungful after lungful of air, glad he hadn't screamed this time. He was sure his parents were tired of his nightly wakeup calls.

He rolled onto his side and stared up at the moon. It looked full to his eyes but he knew it wasn't. Not yet. Tomorrow was the full moon and he was getting his wish of holing up alone in his room. Mrs. Harcourt had called a few days ago to inform his mother that in light of recent events, Ciel was uninvited to this month's fully moon party (like he was a bloody toddler or something). Mrs. Harcourt had assured Rachel that she had nothing against him personally, but the others felt uncomfortable with him being there, so for the good of everyone it would be best if he not show up. Ciel's lip curved up as he remembered the choice words his mother had flung back, unaware he could hear her around the corner. _Not like I would have gone anyway_ , he thought, though he was still irked at being excluded on principle.

Even stranger was his annoyance at Sebastian's disappearance. He had spent all of last month wishing the nuisance would leave him alone but it only happened after Ciel was under virtual house arrest and could have used the company. Typical.

Giving up on sleep, he trudged downstairs and made coffee. It was only 4 A.M. but what the hell, he was never getting back to sleep anyway. And thus began the longest, most boring day of Ciel's life. He had already gone through everything worth doing during the first five days of his self-imposed exile and was now completely and utterly bored. He read bad web comics, tried to pay attention to crappy daytime TV, suffered through his mother's detailed plans for Aunt Ann's visit the following day, and even picked up his old high school violin (before immediately putting that devil instrument back in its case where it belonged). He was practically ripping his hair out by the time five o'clock rolled around.

Declaring it close enough, he grabbed an armload of snacks from the kitchen and headed up to his room. The closer to true full the moon got, the stronger its pull on him would be until it forced his change. He didn't know exactly when that would be but he was determined not to get caught downstairs when it happened.

Ciel locked his door, turned off the light, cracked his window, made sure the door to his bathroom was open, and checked that everything else was in order with the close attention of a first time mother going into labor before settling down to wait.

Around seven-thirty he felt a distinctive cramping pulling at his navel. Sticking to his plan, he fought it as long as possible in an attempt to build up a resistance to it. By eight, he was forced to give in, sliding smoothly and painlessly into his animal form. Fighting it had hurt more than going through with it.

Ciel lay panting on the floor for a few minutes until he felt well enough to get up.

First came the stretches. He popped his back and rolled his shoulders, feeling out his rarely-used form.

Then came the movement. He tested his muscles and reflexes by exploring the entirety of his bedroom and bathroom, his different shape and size making all the familiar things feel strange and new.

He glossed over the physical examination part in the bathroom, allowing a brief flick of eyes in the mirror to confirm that it was indeed as awful as he remembered before moving on to point number four: resistance. Sitting in the dead center of his room, he scrunched up his face and concentrated. There were a few times he thought he felt something (maybe?) but after a solid hour he had to admit nothing was happening. He felt no closer to human than when he started. Shitty moon. He spared it a brief angry glance before pacing in circles, nothing to do but think.

If anyone had told him there would come a time he would actually want to go back to two weeks ago when the other boys were suspicious of him and Sebastian was harassing him, Ciel would have laughed in their faces. Until now, it had been the worst point in his life. As it turns out, fate had not only dragged him down to rock bottom, it had handed him a shovel and made him start digging. Ciel sighed, flopping down onto the floor to wallow in his misery properly.

Why couldn't he have been born human? From what he'd seen of his mother and her family, they had it made. No Challenge, no transformations, nothing. Hell, most supernaturals avoided humans entirely. It sounded peaceful.

Ciel rolled onto his back, wondering how much worse things would get before they got better. Fate took that opportunity to drop another shovelful of dirt onto him.

If he'd been human, he would not have heard his window crack open further or the feather-light footsteps climbing in. His animal ears picked it up easily, though, allowing him to dart under the bed undetected. Firm, measured steps circled his chambers. The occasional hum sounded as his things were looked over. A familiar scent filed his nose, making him grimace. After a few circuits, a stupidly attractive voice called out sweetly, "I know you're in here. Where are you hiding?"

Ciel froze, not wanting to risk giving his location away by moving. He didn't know how good the vampire's sense of hearing was, but he would bet anything it was good enough to hear him shuffle to a different spot.

His closet door creaked open. It closed a brief second later. The feet circled the edge of the room, pausing frequently. "I won't hurt you," Sebastian cooed. "Come on out."

Ciel's eyes narrowed. _What is this fucker playing at? Is it some stupid trick to find out my animal form or –._ If he had been human he would have gasped, eyes going wide. _What if Sebastian is the one killing Weres? What if he only follows me around because it's easier to kill my confirmed-Were friends than trying to track down random Weres himself?_ He mulled the idea over. _Or maybe the crazy bastard really is obsessed with me and killing my rivals is an act of twisted love?_ Either way, having the man break into his dark bedroom at night and attempt to hunt him down while he was at his most vulnerable did not look good.

Ciel swallowed uneasily, tensing as the footsteps grew closer and closer.

More importantly, what should he do now? It was only a matter of time until Sebastian lifted the bedskirt and found him. Lunge at his face? If past experience was any indication, there was nothing he could do to hurt the vampire, especially not like _this_. His door was closed and likely his window as well. Time was running out and his mind was drawing a blank. Correction: time was up.

The black shoes stopped directly in front of him. One knee hit the floor, then the other. Things were moving too fast and agonizingly slow all at the same time. Two white fingers curled under the fabric in front of Ciel and he felt like he was going to pass out.

Sebastian's smiling face fell into view. "There you are."

_Fuck._

A large hand wrapped around him and dragged him out.

Ciel yowled as he was pulled out of his hiding spot, kicking and struggling for all he was worth, not that it made a damn bit of difference to the monster holding him.

Sebastian chuckled, holding him up and watching him with amusement. "My, my. Aren't you a feisty one?"

Ciel squirmed until he ran out of energy, glaring to express his displeasure.

"All done?" the bastard asked. When Ciel continued to hang limply, Sebastian pulled him to his chest and wrapped both hands around him gently. "There, isn't this better?" Ciel did not dignify that with a response. Sebastian stroked his head with a thumb and sat down on the edge of Ciel's bed. "So soft," he murmured, trailing the fingers of one hand through the soft, sleek fur on Ciel's back, their chests pressed together. Ciel glared up at him, holding perfectly still except for the twitching tip of his tail. "You're such a pretty little thing," Sebastian cooed, scratching behind one of Ciel's pointed ears and making his head tilt instinctively into the touch. The ass.

The vampire seemed to be content with just holding him. Like he usually did, Ciel patiently let him have it, knowing he was no match for the creature's strength and not wanting to turn this into a wrestling match. Ciel sat down on Sebastian's lap when his grip relaxed, calmly waiting to see what he'd do next. Which turned out to be more petting.

Honestly. It was bad enough he was a cat – a freaking tiny _house_ _cat_ – of all things, but this was just too much.

When Sebastian's rhythmically stroking hand passed in front of his face next, Ciel bit down, sinking his little kitten fangs into the white skin. Well, as far in as they'd go anyway, which was probably only a firm indent. Sebastian lifted his hand up and leaned his face down, bringing them nose-to-nose to stare menacingly. Ciel gnawed and growled ineffectively in response. Sebastian sighed. "You are just like your owner."

 _Just like my – ? Wait, hold up._ Ciel released Sebastian's hand, staring up at him appraisingly. Was the vampire messing with him?

Sebastian shifted, lifting Ciel as he settled against the headboard before depositing the cat back on his lap to continue silently petting, eyes locked on the door.

This was weird. This was too weird. Ciel stood up on his back legs with his front paws on Sebastian's chest, bringing them eye-to-eye and daring the vampire to say something. He had to know. _Had to_. He was in the bedroom of a non-wolf Were on a full moon for Christ's sake.

"Well, hello there." Sebastian's red eyes squinted into happy crescents. He seemed genuinely pleased to have Ciel in his face. "Finally decided you want pets?" He raised both hands to rub and pet and scratch all over Ciel's head and back. It was glorious and Ciel hated every second that he enjoyed it. He curled into a tight ball on Sebastian's stomach when the pleasant torture stopped, blue eyes still locked on his face, searching for any hint of teasing. The creature shifted restlessly, careful not to dislodge Ciel. One hand rested lightly along Ciel's back, holding him, the other settled on his own chest. Ciel noticed a few tiny puncture marks on the chest hand. _Well, I'll be damned. It is possible after all._

Sebastian looked from the alarm clock to the window, staring up at the full moon and chuckling to himself. "Guess it was stupid for me to come tonight, wasn't it?"

Ciel tilted his head suspiciously but the vampire didn't elaborate. He huffed and tucked his chin under his tail, one blue eye exposed to watch Sebastian. Ciel was determined to stay awake all night if necessary so the bastard wouldn't catch him off guard with whatever he was planning. He might have even managed it, too, if Sebastian hadn't been so perfectly silent and still, his only movement to run his hand over Ciel's back as steadily as a metronome.

Ciel wasn't sure when he drifted off, but he jerked wide awake at ten o'clock the next morning, startled to find bright sunlight streaming in his window. He was alone and still in his cat form, thank God (the irony of being thankful for that did not escape him), curled up on a pillow where the vampire had clearly left him during the night. Even more surprising was the fact he had actually slept a deep, solid sleep with no nightmares.

First things first, he immediately shifted back into his human form. _Ah, that's better_. Ciel was still dressed in yesterday's clothes which were still acceptably clean, having gone wherever clothes go when a Were transformed. It was one of the great unanswered questions he'd resolved long ago not to bother worrying about. What determined a person's animal? Why did the moon make Weres change? Where does clothing go during a transformation? If hundreds of generations of Weres hadn't figured it out by now, he sure wasn't going to.

Ciel was debating taking a shower when voices in the hall caught his attention.

"Oh, come on. The day's half way over."

"Just give him a little longer."

"It's been a year! I want to see him now."

"Angie, last night was a full moon. He's still new to it. Let the kid rest."

"Psh, the moon's not out now, is it?"

Ciel grinned. It seems his flamboyant aunt had arrived sometime this morning and was eager to see him.

"Ra-a-a-chel-l-l," Angelina whined. "You're being unfair. I only get to see him once a year."

"Let's go explore for a bit and come back later," and unfamiliar male voice suggested, making Ciel's ears perk up. Aunt Ann had brought someone with her? This was new. For as long as Ciel could remember, Ann had spent February at their house, grieving the death of her husband and driving everyone mad with her Valentine's Day obsession as a way to forget it had also been her anniversary.

Forget a shower, he wanted to see meet whoever this new person was. Ciel paused just long enough to run a comb through his hair before flinging his door open on the gathering right outside.

"Ciel!" Ann cried, immediately diving onto him for a bone-crushing hug. "You're so big!"

"A-aunt Ann," he gasped, tapping her back. "Air."

"Oh, sorry pumpkin." She released him to pat is head and squeeze his cheeks, still grinning madly. "You look more like your father every time I see you. You're like his little clone." Red filled his vision as she leaned in close to examine him. Scarlet clothes, crimson hair, garnet eyes, ruby lips. If it weren't for her white skin, she'd be a walking tomato.

"I was involved too, you know," Rachel objected.

"Yes, yes, but aside from your eyes, he's just Vincent Number Two."

"I gotta go with Ann on this one," the new voice said, pulling Ciel's attention off his gushing aunt. The newcomer stood with one arm folded across his waist, the other hand propped pensively under his chin as he studied Ciel. He instantly saw what had drawn them together. The new man was almost as red-coated as Ann; his only difference was a pair of shockingly green eyes.

"Hello," Ciel offered around Ann's shoulder, unable to extend his hand with her in the way. "I'm Ciel, in case her screaming didn't give it away."

Ann huffed. "I did not scream!"

"Honey, you're doing it right now," the new man pointed out. "And I'm the _fabulous_ Grell Sutcliff," he drawled dramatically with a bow. Ciel tried to keep his face neutral as he suddenly reconsidered his automatic assumption Grell was Angelina's new boyfriend.

"We were just about to go into town," Angelina explained. "Why don't you come with us?"

"Uh, that's not such a good idea …" Ciel muttered, staring at his feet.

Rachel _tsk-ed_. "Of course it is. You've been cooped up in this house for far too long. A little fresh air will do you good." He glowered at her silently in disagreement, completely ignored by all parties.

Angelina clapped. "Excellent! I'll go get my purse." Grell trailed after her.

"Mom," Ciel began tightly.

"Sweetie, Ann and Grell will be with you the whole time. You'll be fine."

He stared at her silently, mouth pinched, before stomping back into his room to get his shoes. As stubborn as Ciel Phantomhive was, he had only inherited a fraction of his mother's steely resolve. She was tough enough to keep a handle on mischievous Vincent and moody Ciel as well as holding her own against an entire pack of werewolves as the only human; there was no way Ciel would win this little pissing contest and he knew it. He was smart enough to pick his battles and this one wasn't worth it.

Angelina and Grell were waiting at the foot of the stairs. "Ready to go?" she asked brightly. Ciel managed to muster up a queasy smile for her. His packmates had made it perfectly clear that he was neither needed nor wanted anywhere near them. As much as the rejection stung, a part of Ciel was grateful that they were now all on the same page. He didn't like most of them, either. _Stupid cocky children who rely on brute strength and animal instinct_ , he sniffed to himself.

Ann drove them across town and chatted animatedly about anything and everything as they window shopped at an outdoor shopping center. She kept up an impressive one-woman dialogue, updating Ciel on her favorite patients at the children's clinic where she worked and occasionally pulling out her phone to show pictures of them. Ann loved children so much it honestly surprised Ciel that she didn't have any of her own.

Grell, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any interest in children at all. Ciel would have thought it would be a deal breaker for friendship with Ann, but they meshed so well in every other way it was easy to see why she had made an exception. The manic man practically skipped circles around them on the frosty pavement as they walked, frequently stopping them to dart into shops for one thing or another, talking animatedly whenever Ann paused for breath.

When they both ran out of things to talk about, Ann finally noted, "Well, now you know all there is to know about us. Tell me how you're doing."

"Um, okay, I guess."

Ann squawked out an offended noise. "Don't you 'okay' me, mister! I know you've started transforming, so tell me about it." Ciel's eyes darted to Grell nervously. Ann waved her hand dismissively. "Grell knows all about it, so spill already."

"Er," Ciel scratched the back of his neck. "It's different, I guess. I've only done it a few times; it's the Challenge that's a bitch."

Ann nodded sympathetically. "Werewolves can be so brutal. I guess I'm lucky that I dodged that bullet." She turned to examine a hat in a shop window and Ciel studied her profile. Over the years he'd put various puzzle pieces together to discover that Ann had dated Vincent when they were younger. They'd even been engaged at some point before things fell apart for a reason no one seemed to want to mention. Not that anyone had ever _told_ him any of that, he was simply extraordinarily observant and adults tended not to guard their words too carefully around children.

"Ann, just get it," Grell said. "It would look fabulous on you."

She smirked. "Yes, it would, but I have the distinct feeling you'd spend more time wearing it than I would."

Grell grinned mischievously. "Guilty as charged." Ciel blinked at the man, curious why the hell he'd be wearing that giant floppy woman's hat more than Ann. As if sensing his confusion, Grell's head whipped around to stare him down. Fists snapped to his waist and he cocked one hip. "What?"

"I, um, why?" Ciel asked inarticulately.

Grell clicked his tongue and gestured to his face. "To keep the sun off this delicate porcelain skin of mine, obviously."

"But …" Ciel's face twisted up as he struggled to find the right words, not wanting to offend him but feeling the need to point it out. "That's a woman's hat."

Grell gave him the dirtiest look one person could possibly give another. "And I'm a woman. What's wrong with that?"

Ciel's jaw flopped open and closed a few times and he looked to Ann for help. She arched a brow to tell him he was on his own. "Nothing. Nothing at all, I just didn't know. I'm sorry."

Grell relaxed a bit as he – she! – realized Ciel wasn't going to make an issue out of it. After a moment, she nodded her acceptance of the apology. "For heaven's sake, I don't know why people think it's so strange. Didn't you just turn into a dog last night?"

Ciel started to automatically correct her like he would Sebastian, but stopped immediately. These two would ride him ragged to find out the truth if he told them his animal form was a secret and that is not how he wanted to spend the entirety of their visit. Instead he just nodded. "Yeah, you're right. It's not weird at all. No one told me, so I just assumed. Sorry," he said again.

Grell smiled at the apology, returning to her formerly hyper state. "You are absolutely adorable! Ann, look at this kid – he's all red. Such a glorious color!" She patted Ciel's head like a dog before skipping off into the store to buy that hat.

Face flat and unamused, he slanted his eyes over to Ann, both of them watching Grell through the window. "You could have told me."

Her lip curled at one corner. "And miss all this fun? No way."

"What if I hadn't been okay with it?"

"Then Grell probably would have torn you limb from limb." She wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a side-hug and kissing his head. "I knew you'd be good, though, because you're my perfect little angel."

"Ga-a-ah," he whined, trying to wiggle away from her freakishly strong grip. He was about to put some real backbone into it when Grell's return saved him.

"Well, ducklings, I don't know about you, but I'm freezing! It is positively too cold to be walking around outside like this."

Ann seemed unperturbed and Ciel now ran a bit warm due to his animal spirit, but both agreed to get a hot lunch so Grell could warm up. They were almost back to the car when Grell and Angelina got sucked into a lingerie store. Ciel dug his heels into the snowy pavement and refused to come within three feet of the pink door. He turned his back to the store for good measure as he waited, arms folded and breath puffing in the cold.

"Oh, look, Maurice," his least favorite voice in the whole world called, "someone put up a statue of an asshole."

Ciel clenched his jaw, not moving or responding in any way. Obnoxious laughter approached from his left and a hand reached out to shove his shoulder, making him stumble. He swore Trancy did nothing but hang around, waiting for him to step outside.

"Oops," Clayton said. "Looks like it's not a statue, it's the real deal, boys!"

Ciel finally looked over to find that Alois's usual group has grown to a truly disturbing size. He narrowed his eyes. He needed to break them up before they could gang up on him so he did the only thing he could think of. "Alois, I challenge you."

The group made a low chorus of "Oooo" like schoolboys. Alois himself smirked, tossing his mop of unruly blond hair out of his face. "Pass."

"You can't pass on a challenge," Ciel snarled. "Right here and now, Trancy."

Alois snorted and looked down at his nails disinterestedly. "Nope. I don't have to do shit because you're breaking the rules by going out alone." Another irritating chorus of "Oooo" made Ciel want to slap someone.

Clayton shoved him again, forcing him back another step. Maurice grinned maliciously as Ciel stumbled. "I think we should teach the murderer to follow the rules."

Ciel glared, completely out of his depth but unwilling to back down. If they wanted to fight, he'd fight. The seven of them would kick the snot out of him eventually, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't get in a few good licks himself before he went down.

The first blow came as a surprise. Clayton's meaty fist slammed into Ciel's solar plexus, knocking the air out of his lungs. The second blow came as an even bigger surprise as Aunt Ann appeared before him and knocked Clayton clean off his feet. She tugged on her glove primly, staring down her elegant nose at the rowdy group of Were boys like they were troublesome puppies instead of strong young men. "If you're not going to do it right, then move along." Her tone left no room for argument. Clayton scrambled up, scooting back to the group who stared at Ann as if she had two heads before shuffling off, sending dirty looks over their shoulders. She stood stock still, back straight and chin up as she watched them go. Once the last one had rounded the corner, she turned to check on Ciel.

"Are you okay, pumpkin?" He was still slightly hunched due to the pain in his chest and she leaned down to look in his face.

"Aunt Ann," he said softly, voice full of awe. "How did you …?"

She laughed, red eyes merry. "Please. As if I couldn't handle a group of rowdy boys. Now come on inside with me while we wait for Grell to finish up."

Ciel trailed behind her obediently, still rubbing at his sore chest. "Seriously, though. That was really something. How'd you do it?" He kept his eyes locked onto her to avoid looking around at the frilly, lacy scraps of cloth around him. He felt his ears burning at their sheer proximity anyway.

Ann grinned, ruffling his hair like a child. "After spending so long with you rough-and-tumble lot, I've picked up a few tricks. Besides, I'm a doctor. I just aimed for a pressure point." She winked.

Ciel's eyes widened in understanding, feeling slightly stupid for not thinking of those things himself. If Ann had been engaged to his father, then she certainly _would_ be used to dealing with Weres' wild shenanigans. Learning to defend herself had probably been necessary for survival. Ciel suddenly wondered if his mother was secretly the same way. He'd never seen soft and gentle Rachel do anything remotely violent (the woman could barely open a pickle jar on her own and said "poop" instead of "shit"), but a part of him thought she must surely be capable. She'd lived with werewolves much closer and longer than Ann had.

This suspicion was further reinforced by the way Rachel's eyes narrowed coldly when Angelina told her what had happened at the shopping center right before dinner that night.

"Really, mom, it was nothing," Ciel said, trying to diffuse the situation in the kitchen. "They were just being jerks."

"It is _not_ nothing, Ciel. They could have hurt you and you can bet your cute little bum that your father and I are going to do something about it." His father grimaced but nodded. He had a personal rule not to interfere with the young ones unless absolutely necessary … or demanded to do so by his wife.

Yeah. Great. His parents were going to step in for him again. With words like 'bum.' That would certainly make his peers respect him. "Mom, just drop it. Please. I'm begging you."

"No. I put up with the Challenge because it's an important werewolf tradition and I have to respect it whether I like it or not, but I'll be darned if I'm going to let a gang of bullies beat on you whenever they please. Did it occur to you that they could have killed you right there in broad daylight? Two boys have already died, Ciel. I'm not going to let you be number three."

To be perfectly truthful, no, it had not occurred to him that Alois might be behind the murders. Cheslock had always been Alois's friend and he'd never even seen the blond in the same room with Lawrence before; by default, Ciel had assumed annoying, bratty Alois had nothing to do with either death. He realized now that he might be operating under a misconception. _Alois_ certainly lacked the strength and reason to kill either of them; Alois's _group_ on the other hand might be a different story. Ciel mentally upgraded them from "Mild Annoyance" to "Possible Threat." He would have to be doubly careful next time he went out.

Rachel took his silence as acceptance and hugged him. "Don't worry; I won't let anything happen to you." Ciel rolled his eyes, but wrapped his arms around her anyway, finding unexpected comfort in her embrace. It was nice to know someone was looking out for him, even if it was just his squishy human mother. Hands patted his head and he twisted to see Ann showering him with affection as well. _Honestly, it's like I have two mothers._

"Not to interrupt, but something smells absolutely _divine_ ," Grell purred from the doorway, safely out of the family's way. "Please tell me it's dinner."

Rachel grinned, a sparkle in her eye. "It certainly is. I was just about to put it on the table if you all want to get seated." She snagged Ciel by the collar as he was about to follow the others and handed him an armful of plates and forks to take with him. She followed shortly after with her steaming dish of pride, eyes locked on Angelina as she waited for a reaction. Things were quiet for a few short minutes as everyone was served before sibling rivalry broke out.

"This is mom's casserole!" Angelina exclaimed two forkfuls in.

Rachel beamed at her. "Yes, it is."

"It tastes just like hers!"

"Yes, it does," Rachel agreed smugly.

"How the hell does it taste so much like hers?"

"I actually followed the recipe, unlike _some_ people."

"You actually have her recipe? You _bitch_. When were you going to tell me?"

"I was going to send a copy home with you, but if you're going to act like that …"

Angelina sighed, rolling her eyes. "This is such typical Rachel behavior. I remember that one time …" she trailed off into an embarrassing childhood story, one Rachel easily countered with another about Ann. Grell laughed uproariously. Vincent chucked warmly. Ciel was eternally grateful to be an only child. Once dinner was over and the sisters had returned to their usual state of tightly-knit comradery, everyone retired to the living room for coffee and socializing. Ciel had been the only one to spend time with Ann and Grell today and the older adults were all eager to chat amongst themselves.

After half an hour of patiently listening through all the same stories he'd already heard earlier that day, Ciel felt it was safe to sneak out. He crept into the kitchen and absconded with a bag of cookies, taking them up to the solitude of his room where he could check his social media in peace. Theoretically. If he didn't have a stalker.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello there," Sebastian rumbled, sprawled out comfortably on his bed.

Ciel jumped. He managed to keep a grip on his phone but the foil cookie bag he was holding dropped to the ground with a soft crinkle. "Shh!" he whispered, pushing his door closed. Finger over his lips, he led Sebastian to the window and gestured outside before swinging himself down, knees bending in a cat-like motion to absorb his impact. The vampire followed in a flash of black. Ciel led Sebastian onto the sidewalk before speaking. "My dad has freaky hearing."

The vampire grinned broadly. "So we're sneaking out like teenagers to avoid the parentals? I can't say I've ever played this game before. Tell me, what are the rules?"

"Fuck you, we have guests and I didn't want to make things awkward for them. It's called being considerate, something you clearly know nothing about." Ciel crossed his arms and stared straight ahead as they walked.

Sebastian trailed a single finger over the back of Ciel's neck, making the boy shiver and slap his hand away. "What makes you think I'm not considerate?"

Ciel stopped dead in his tracks and stared at him. "Seriously?"

"I've been nothing but considerate to you, little one."

The blue-eyed boy huffed. "Is that why you won't leave me alone?"

Sebastian tilted his head inquisitively. "Do you want me to? I've always left when you asked."

Ciel opened his mouth automatically to argue that, but couldn't. Damned if Sebastian wasn't right. The man cropped up persistently like a bad case of herpes but tended to back off when actually asked to do so. Instead, Ciel switched to, "And that time you almost bit me?"

"'Almost' being the key word," Sebastian pointed out. "In all fairness, you did hit me and rile me up."

"Only because you pinned me against the wall and slobbered on me!"

"You didn't seem to mind me pinning or slobbering on you two weeks ago," Sebastian countered with a lecherous smirk.

"Ass. Where've you been, anyway?" Ciel asked grumpily.

"Around," he said vaguely, "which is more than I can say for you. Where have _you_ been hiding?"

Ciel sighed. "At home."

Sebastian waited patiently for an explanation that didn't come. "I see. Another werewolf thing?"

Ciel made a sour face. "Sort of."

Sebastian grabbed his wrist and dragged him to a stop. "You're being annoyingly evasive."

Blue eyes glared up. "And you're being annoyingly invasive."

"Only because you're actually interesting. Tell me what's going on."

Ciel jerked his wrist away and to his surprise the vampire let him go. He considered the man silently for a moment before shrugging. It would be nice to have someone to talk about all this with other than his parents. "Two Were boys have been murdered," he said as he turned to keep walking them around the block. "None of us are supposed to go out alone until the elders figure out what's going on."

Sebastian hummed, finger on his chin. "That would put a damper on you social life, wouldn't it?" Ciel snorted. "You're out alone now, though, so you obviously don't hold to their rules."

"Unless I've snapped and your crazy ass is just in my head, I'm pretty sure I'm not alone right now."

"I'm flattered." Sebastian leaned in to leer at him disturbingly. "But what if I'm the one responsible?"

Ciel tilted his head in acknowledgement. "I have actually considered that, but you've had plenty of opportunity to off me before now. I think I'm safe."

Sebastian laughed heartily at that. "You know, most people would at least pretend to be afraid of me."

Ciel arched a slate brow and looked over. "Do you _want_ me to? 'Cause you seem to be going about it the wrong way if that's your goal."

Sebastian shook his head, shaggy bangs waving attractively around his face. "No, actually. You're the only one who's not scared of me. It's refreshing."

"Yeah," Ciel agreed, watching his feet. "I know how that is," he added softly. A hand settled on his shoulder and Ciel looked up into curious red eyes. "Some of the others think I'm responsible for the deaths," he explained simply.

Sebastian looked at him sympathetically, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "They'll come around. Unless you did do it, of course," he added lightly, tossing up a hand, "in which case you'll still have me because I think mayhem is delightful."

Ciel barked a laugh, honestly not sure if he should be offended or amused. "I'm not a murderer, thanks for asking."

Sebastian shrugged. "No one's perfect."

Ciel smiled in spite of himself. _Crazy._ "Was there something you wanted?" At Sebastian's questioning hum, he clarified, "You did break into my house. I assume you actually had a reason of some kind?" Now that he thought about it, maybe Sebastian didn't. The creature seemed incredibly impulsive; it would not surprise Ciel at all if he had just wandered in on a whim.

"I was … curious."

"About my animal form?" Ciel asked suspiciously.

"Well … yes," Sebastian admitted, "but also you in general. I hadn't seen you in a while and I wanted to make sure you hadn't gotten hurt in one of your fights."

Ciel rolled his eyes, "No worries there. The others don't want anything to do with me right now – including the Challenge. On good days, they avoid me. On bad ones, they don't."

"All because of those dead boys?"

"Real sensitive. Yeah." The vampire shrugged, unapologetic. "And as for the other, butt out. I don't want you lurking around every full moon." Sebastian went petulantly quiet at that, like a kid whose sucker had been taken away. _Good_ , Ciel thought smugly. He turned the fourth corner and his house came back into view. "Sorry to cut this short, but I need to get back before they notice I'm gone." Sebastian nodded in acceptance. A dangerous light glinted in his eye and Ciel had just long enough to balk before he was snatched up, pulled tightly to a broad chest, and kissed thoroughly. Ciel responded instantly and with vigor, kissing until he was lightheaded from lack of oxygen. He pulled his head back, gasping, chest still crushed against Sebastian's. "I've got to go."

"I'm not done with you."

The words sent a tingle straight to Ciel's groin, but he struggled ineffectively anyway, not wanting to give Sebastian the satisfaction of undoing him so easily. "What do you want, you giant obnoxious horse?"

Sebastian's brow arched as he stared down at the squirming runt in his arms. "You say the sweetest things."

The Were glared up at him, stilling. "Well?" Instead of a verbal response, Sebastian reached into Ciel's back pocket and pulled out his phone. With a few quick swipes, he unlocked it and sent himself a text before returning it and relaxing his grip. Ciel took a few steps back to regain his balance. "Seriously? How do you know my passcode?"

"I watch you."

"And on that creepy note, bye." He turned and walked stiffly back to his house, listening to Sebastian chuckle behind him. _So glad somebody's amused_. He crunched up the walk, pushed open the front door, and bumped straight into Grell.

"And who were _you_ doing, hm?" she asked enthusiastically, butt practically wiggling as she craned her neck to see if Sebastian was still on the far corner. "Your boyfriend's dreamy."

Ciel stuttered before he was able to choke out. "No one. I mean, it's not like that. He's just a friend. What are you doing right here, anyway?" he demanded, trying to change the topic.

"I was looking for Ann. What's your 'just friend's name?"

Ciel scowled. "Sebastian."

Grell spun on a heel, swooning against the door. "Be still my heart."

Ciel groaned. "You wouldn't say that if you knew him."

Grell bared her teeth savagely. "I'd like to find out. Why don't you invite him over?"

Vincent poked his head around the corner, eyes narrowed at Ciel. "I thought I heard you come in. Were you just outside?" he asked in a warning tone, walking up to loom imposingly over his son.

"Y-yes," Ciel said, not bothering to lie with Grell right there to call him on it.

Vincent's face flushed in anger. "How could you? You know you can't go off alone right now. You damn well know!" He ground his teeth, staring Ciel down. "After what happened today I thought you would be more responsible."

"I –" Ciel tried to respond, throat closing up. He'd never seen his dad this mad before. "I'm sorry, I –"

"He wasn't alone," Grell threw in when Ciel hesitated. "I was with him."

Vincent's brown eyes locked onto Grell skeptically. " _You_ went out with him?"

Grell bucked up, never one to back down from a challenge. "That's what I said, isn't it?" When he stared at her wordlessly, she sneered. "That alpha male bullshit may work on your kid, but you can pack it in right now if you think it's gonna cow me, honey. I went on a little walk with Ciel here and we chatted about boys and it was flipping fabulous, thank you very much." She folded her arms, glaring back until he surrendered.

"Fine," he said tiredly. "I'm not going to argue about it right now, just don't forget next time." He climbed halfway upstairs, pausing half way to note, "Your shoes are surprisingly dry for someone who just trudged through winter slush." He continued up and around the corner without another word, leaving Ciel to look from his wet, dirty boots, dripping melting ice and snow onto the tile, to Grell's clean oxfords. He bit his lip.

"Bah," she called antagonistically to the air of the empty stairs, waving her hands rudely at where he disappeared.

"Why did you do that?" Ciel asked.

"He's an old fuddy-duddy for not letting you have ten minutes to yourself."

"No, I mean, lie about going with me. You didn't have to."

"You're welcome," she said, rolling her eyes. "You obviously didn't want to tell him about your boyfriend and I didn't think it was fair for you to get into trouble when you didn't break any rules."

"Thanks," Ciel said with a genuine half smile. "And he's not my boyfriend."

"You kiss all your not-boyfriends like that?"

Ciel's ears turned pink. "He's a pervert who kissed me. You're welcome to him if you want him."

Grell's eyebrows shot up. "I may take you up on that," she warned.

Ciel snorted. "Good luck."

He was reclining on his bed an hour later, scrolling through his news feed when frantic pounding sounded on the front door. Ciel frowned and looked at the time. 9:32. A little too late for that kind of racket. The knocking showed no signs of stopping and he sighed, rolling to his feet to answer it himself. It cut off suddenly when he reached the landing; someone had beaten him to it.

"Vincent," a distraught voice cried, carrying up the stairs to Ciel's ears. He paused, hidden from sight. "There's been another one!"

Ciel's stomach dropped to his feet. He heard his father let out a heavy breath. "Who was it this time?"

"Tobias Clayton."

Blue eyes bugged and Ciel slapped a hand over his mouth. Clayton had just been bullying him today and now he was dead, too, just like Bluewer, who died right after beating him, and Cheslock, who died after terrorizing him at the cake shop. There was now officially a connection – and it was him! Once was unfortunate, twice was a coincidence, but three times? Ciel swallowed, knowing just how Alois and the others would see it. He sank to his knees, hand wrapped around a wooden baluster.

"Assemble the elders," Vincent ordered. "And try to keep this as quiet as possible for tonight. I don't want a repeat of last time." The man murmured his assent and departed. There was a long, horrible second of silence before his father said, "Ciel Alexander Phantomhive, get your ass down here this instant." Ciel winced at the use of his middle name. Grudgingly, he trudged down the stairs, cringing inside as he approached father, who stood with is arms crossed and toe tapping, an unfamiliar scowl on his face. "Where the hell were you after dinner? And don't say with Grell because we all know that's a bald-faced lie."

Ciel forced himself to keep his arms at his sides and look his father dead in the eye. "I was with Sebastian."

Vincent's eyebrows shot up. "Your boyfriend?"

"He's not my –"

Vincent waved a hand, cutting him off midsentence. "Whatever he is, you were with him?"

"Only for a few minutes. We just walked once around the block. You can ask Grell, she saw us."

Vincent huffed. "That won't be necessary. As reliable as I'm sure she is, I believe you." Ciel's shoulders relaxed, only to tense up again when his father added, "But the others won't, so we're not going to tell them." He gave Ciel a firm look until the boy swallowed and nodded. "Good lad. Now go back up to your room and stay there." Ciel didn't have to be told twice. He tore off like a rabbit, not stopping until he was safely in bed with the covers over his head.

This was insane. Abso-bloodly-lutely insane. Why were all the people around him suddenly dying?

Abruptly, he shoved the blankets down to free his head, scowling at his urge to run and hide. He was Ciel Phantomhive, son of the district leader. He had pride to uphold and a family name to consider. He shouldn't be hiding in bed like a scared child. Ciel bared his suddenly cat-like fangs at the dark room. Damn right he wasn't going to run and hide; he was going to deal with it like a man. Like his father. He sprung up and started pacing, one hand at his chin.

Who would do this and why?

Two options existed: 1) Someone wanted to protect him. 2) Someone wanted to frame him. He honestly couldn't think of anyone who would try to protect him like that. Yes, Sebastian was both physically capable and mentally unstable enough to pull it off, but he had probably been with Ciel when Lawrence was killed and didn't even know about Clayton. Without the vampire in the mix, the second option practically glowed as the obvious motive. Someone – _not to name names, Alois_ – was out to get him. But why go through the trouble? Wouldn't it be easier just to kill him and be done with it?

Ciel flicked on the desk light and pulled out a sheet of paper to scribble down his thoughts, hoping it would help him organize them. After what felt like hours of thinking, his eyes were blurry and his brain was a pretzel. He rubbed his temples and looked over his list. It seemed to contain every possible motive on the planet, none more likely than another.

 _Knock-knock_.

Ciel's head whipped to his dark window, then his door. He tucked the paper into a drawer and called, "Come in."

A weary Vincent stepped inside. "I saw your light on." His slate hair was rumpled as if he'd been running his hands through it all night. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, leaving it to hang sloppily open.

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep. What's up?"

Vincent sat on the edge of the bed to put his face level with Ciel's and rested his arms on his knees. "We've decided to go to the Green Witch for help."

Ciel's eyebrows shot up. Werewolves were by nature a solitary bunch. Letting an outsider in on their problems was strange enough, but actually asking for help – and from another supernatural, at that – was practically unheard of. And, his mind added guiltily, she was a _female_. There were obviously women in the pack, but they'd all been bitten in, changed to join late in life. (His mother was quite the oddity, having rejected the change and remained human.) All born Weres were male. They were insulated as much as possible during their formative years and as such were a little inexperienced around women, especially non-pack women. "Oh," was all he could say.

Vincent smirked at his son's shock. "That's about the reaction we expect from the others, too. A few elders and I are going to see her in the morning and I want you to come with us."

Ciel gaped at him. "Me? Why?"

"I'm not going to lie to you. The others don't trust you and I don't blame them. If you weren't my son, I'd think you were responsible as well." Ciel pulled a sour face at that. He had expected their suspicion, but it still wasn't palatable. "They want the Green Witch to figure out who is behind these attacks and you are the prime suspect. If there is any way she can rule you out, I want her to do it as soon as possible."

Ciel nodded, seeing the wisdom in that. "Okay." If getting poked and prodded by an ugly old woman would keep him out of trouble, he was more than willing to endure it.

\---

Ciel's mouth hung open stupidly. He knew he should close it, he really did, but for some reason he lacked the proper motor control to do so at the moment.

A tense early morning car ride had brought Ciel, his father, and two of the least surly elders, Harrison and Wright, to the Green Witch's shop. It was decorated as expected, with stars and symbols and strange paraphernalia swathed in layers of draping fabric and dim lights. It was a textbook picture of how a fortuneteller's shop should look. What he had not expected was the witch herself: a tiny teenage girl. She was short and thin with milk white skin and coal black hair. Her green eyes were vibrant and hypnotic, the only spot of color on her in her all-black attire.

" _You're_ the Green Witch?" Harrison blurted, saying what they were all thinking.

She smiled and laughed, the sound like a tinkling bell. "Aren't you amusing? I'm so glad I get to start my day off with a laugh."

The middle-aged Were stuttered, unsure what to do. Vincent, the only one of the group who seemed unfazed, smiled politely back at her. "Forgive us. We don't often enlist the aid of outsiders."

Still giggling, she said, "Not at all. I find your group terribly amusing. Especially that little one," she said, pointing straight at Ciel, who turned red, finally snapping his mouth shut. "Why don't you come sit down and tell me what kind of aid you need?" she offered with a kind smile.

The group of Weres followed her to a round table. Vincent sat to one side of her and Ciel got stuck on her other, the older Weres pushing to be as far away as possible without seeming rude. Her assistant, a large blond man, silently brought out refreshments, serving them tea in dainty china cups and tiny pink cookies. The witch grinned sharply as she watched the large, nervous men awkwardly fumble her miniature refreshments around with their fingertips and Ciel smirked, realizing she had done it on purpose.

As Vincent explained their problem, her face grew more and more serious. She listened silently until he finished, then nodded. "I see. Most troubling." Her eyes focused on Ciel. "And you are the trouble maker, hm?"

He blanched. "No! I didn't do anything, I swear." His heart pounded in his chest and he hoped she wouldn't name him as the culprit. He knew he wasn't guilty but was wildly afraid she'd simply blame him to collect her money and be done with it.

She eyed him silently for a moment before holding out hand to him. "Palm," she demanded. He immediately slapped his left hand into hers, palm up. She grabbed it by the edges, twisting it back and forth, bending and straightening his fingers as she looked at the creases. A single brow arching, she dropped it onto the table without warning. "Most interesting. I'm going to keep an eye on you for sure."

Ciel pulled his hand back to his chest, feeling oddly naked. "What does that mean?"

"Did he do it?" Wright asked, earning himself a dirty look from Vincent.

The witch sniffed daintily. "Of course not."

"You can tell that just by looking at his hand?" the other elder asked incredulously.

Brow arched, face verging on irritation, she repeated a little more forcefully, "Of _course_ not. Are you here to use my services or question them?" The Weres were all silent, not wanting to upset her further. She regarded each of them levelly before gesturing over her shoulder to summon the blond man back into the room. He reappeared with a shining silver tray full of curious objects. "Now, I'm going to need some possessions of the deceased." The Weres looked between themselves awkwardly. "Do you not _have_ anything of theirs?" she asked dangerously.

"We, um, didn't know we would need to," Ciel answered when it was clear no one else would.

The witch slammed down the crystal she had just lifted, letting out a noise of frustration. "What is _wrong_ with you people? If you had just told me what you wanted over the phone like a normal customer I could have told you exactly what to bring, but no. You have to be difficult. You want to come in _person_ and you don't want to _talk_ about it and you're cramming way too many unnecessary people into my _space_." She ranted heartily, working herself into a tizzy. Ciel would have found it funny how three pack elders were cowering before a squeaking teenage girl if he weren't doing exactly the same thing himself.

"Hand," she said abruptly, cutting herself off mid-rant. When no one responded, she whipped her head around to glare at Ciel. " _Hand_ ," she repeated, slapping hers out to wait for his as she had the first time. He reluctantly gave it to her and gasped as she drove a giant silver needle into the center of his palm.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed involuntarily.

"You'll live," she responded coldly, flipping his palm down over a stone bowl.

Vincent looked thunderous, though he was doing a good job of not springing out of his chair to tear her head off. "What the _hell_ are you doing to my son?"

She slanted her bottle green gaze to him for a moment before continuing to focus on the bowl. "Relax, papa wolf. I'm just substituting his blood for the personal effects. From what you said, he made physical contact with all three around the time of their deaths. It won't be nearly as good, but it will let me get this show on the road."

Vincent simmered down a bit at that explanation, still eyeing her warily.

"Are you done yet? This freaking hurts," Ciel whined as she massaged his palm to eke out more blood.

"Suck it up, you big baby. It's just a pinprick."

"Fuckin' huge pin," he grumbled, staring at the offending instrument. If it had a handle, it could have been a tiny dagger. She snickered, taking mercy on him and releasing his hand as soon as possible. Ciel cradled it safely in his lap under the table as he watched her throw herbs, rocks, and fibers into the bowl, seemingly at random.

"Hmmm…" she intoned thoughtfully, gazing into it.

Ciel exchanged a glance with his father, who shrugged, watching her as well. The other two werewolves leaned their heads together, whispering amongst themselves. Harrison leaned over to ask Vincent, "What is she doing?"

"Divining, hush," the witch girl snapped. The man sat up straight suddenly, as if slapped.

Ciel's brows pulled together. Nothing was happening. Shouldn't there be smoke or a flash or something? The Green Witch sat perfectly still, eyes flickering over the bowl of junk in front of her rapidly as if she were dreaming.

"Vampire," she breathed.

Ciel's heart froze. He kept his eyes locked on her mouth, dreading the words that would follow.

"There is a vampire stalking you, Ciel Phantomhive," she said flatly, still gazing at the blood. "Did you know that?"

Ciel was so light headed he was certain he would pass out soon. He swallowed, unable to answer.

"It _wants_ you. It won't stop until everyone around you is gone so it can have you all to itself." She shuddered, eyes rolling back into her head briefly before she blinked and shook herself back to a normal state. It was honestly the most terrifying thing Ciel had ever seen.

The elders looked amongst themselves, speaking with their eyes. Relief, guilt, fear, and determination all passed between them in record time. "How can we stop it?" Vincent asked.

"You can't," she said bluntly, "not by yourselves. It takes magic to kill a vampire."

Ciel's eyes widened. _Kill? They want to kill Sebastian?_ He felt a sudden protective urge that he quickly stomped out. _Of course they want to kill Sebastian – he's the murderer, stupid!_ He gave himself a few swift mental kicks. He had trouble picturing the smiling, joking man he'd been intimate with _killing_ people, but the Green Witch had said the vampire "wanted" him, which was certainly true. While he may be nice to Ciel, Ciel knew Sebastian was impulsive and easily bored. If he thought killing Weres was entertaining and/or would somehow result in him possessing Ciel … yeah, Ciel could see him doing it. The boy grimaced.

"Yes, I can," the witch was explaining, "but it will take time." Apparently Ciel had missed something while caught up in his own thoughts. "Send someone back by tonight to pick it up."

"What will it do?" Wright asked, curiosity overcoming his aversion to the little female for a second time.

She smiled like someone had finally asked an intelligent question. "Put simply, it will drain the vampire of energy until it dies. Vampires are magical creatures, Mister Wright –" the Were tensed at her use of his name, which he had not given "–and they easily heal any non-magical wound. Using the weapon I give you, a fatal blow will be permanent; anything else will simply be a nuisance." She looked them all in the eye sternly before repeating slowly, " _Fatal_. Brain or heart. And do leave it in long enough for the magic to work."

Ciel wanted to snap at her that they weren't stupid but looking over at Harrison's and Wright's confused faces himself, he couldn't blame her obvious doubt. In all fairness, he had blanked out on the first part of her explanation himself so he really wasn't in the position to point fingers.

"We'll send someone," Vincent agreed, handing her one of his business cards. "Call when it's ready."

She ran her eyes over the print before setting it on her tray. "Send the little one. I like him."

Ciel blinked stupidly at her. He was equal parts flattered and freaked out. Vincent looked at the others, who shook their heads. "That wouldn't be a good idea. Our people don't really trust him right now because of," he gestured awkwardly to the bloody bowl.

The witch rolled her eyes. "Are all you wolves so paranoid all the time? Fine, send whomever you wish and get out so I can start working on it already." She stood abruptly to usher them out. Harrison and Wright practically raced to the door in a quick walk. Ciel followed close behind, though he threw a parting look over his shoulder. Vincent actually paused long enough to tip his chin in a slight bow. "Thank you Miss …?" he trailed off.

"Sullivan. Introductions usually come at the beginnings of meetings, Mister Phantomhive," she teased.

Vincent blushed charmingly, making him look much younger. "Of course, Miss Sullivan. My apologies."

She laughed merrily as the group of skittish Weres hurried back to their car in a clump, making them officially the most entertaining group she'd ever worked with.


	5. Chapter 5

The Green Witch's dagger was a thing of beauty. Harrison and Wright had bravely volunteered to pick it up and bring it back to Phantomhive manor for examination. All six of the elders, including Vincent, were present. Ciel, by virtue of happening to be in the front parlor when they entered, also got to see it.

There was a hush as Vincent opened the brass hasps of the dark wood case and flipped back the lid to reveal the foot-long dagger nestled in a mountain of crushed green velvet. The handle was a cylinder, wrapped in soft black leather. The silver cross guard and pommel were both fully round rather than flattened and completely covered in some sort of intricate pattern. Ciel couldn't tell if it was tiny writing or just a decorative design but knowing the source, it had to have something magical about it. The blade itself was the truly striking part: perfectly black with faint metallic swirls like Damascus steel, though he wasn't sure if it was metal or black stone. It was wide at the cross guard and tapered down to a deadly point. At first Ciel thought it was round like the handle, but when Vincent picked it up, he saw it had deep grooves down the sides.

"A star blade," said one of the elders Ciel didn't know well. "I haven't seen one of those in ages." A few of the others murmured amongst themselves and Ciel kept his eyes locked on the dagger as his father tilted, twisted, and turned it. When the light shone across it just right, Ciel could see what the old man had been talking about: the blade had five sharp ridges. If it were stabbed into a piece of paper, it would leave a star-shaped hole. He cringed as he pictured his father ramming it into Sebastian's paper-white chest.

An unexpected disagreement sprang up over where to store the blade. Vincent was the natural choice as he was both the district leader and an elder. However, the others were still leery of Ciel no matter what the witch-girl said and insisted it be given to another alpha for safe keeping.

"That is ridiculous," Vincent retorted. "The vampire is after my son. Why _wouldn't_ we keep it here where one of us has the best chance of grabbing it and ending things?"

"Because the vampire _is_ after your son. Why would you want to leave it here for the creature to find and dispose of?"

"The whole point of getting this is to stop the vampire, not protect the dagger. What good is having a vampire-killing blade if the damned thing is hidden miles away from where we need it?"

"Vincent," Harrison said calmly, "think of the others. The entire pack wasn't with us in Ms. Sullivan's shop. They did not see her like we did and they're not all going to blindly believe that Ciel is innocent overnight due to secondhand information from an outsider. There would be a riot if we placed a magic death blade in the hands of someone they think is a murderer."

Vincent stared at him blankly for a moment before jerking his chin in the barest of nods. "Very well, I see your point. I will agree to someone else holding it _for now_ so long as they keep it on this street. I don't want it halfway across town and I expect it to be returned to me as soon as this ludicrous prejudice against my son calms down." There was a round of assent and Ciel was asked to step out of the room so the elders could discuss who would hold it. It seems they didn't even trust him to know its location. _Which is dumb as fuck because Sebastian is after me, but whatever_ , he thought angrily as he stomped upstairs. Why was he being punished for being the victim in all this?

"Psst!" Ciel whipped his head around, confused until Grell's head poked out of her door at the end of the hall. She waved him down to her to ask quietly, "What's up with Tribe Wolf?"

"They just got a magic vampire-killing dagger."

"Seriously? This is the best vacation ever!"

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, awesome. Whatever. I'm going to bed."

A red-nailed hand caught his arm. "Wait, why do they have that again?"

Ciel sighed. No one had told him _not_ to tell Grell anything and she did already know all about the werewolves and the pack and the murders, so what the hell? "The killer is a vampire. They're arguing over who gets to hold it right now."

Grell chuckled. "Territorial bastards." Ciel secretly agreed.

\---

10:02 A.M. – **What are you up to?**  
12:45 P.M. – **You must be busy.**  
01:15 P.M. – **I'm outside your house.**  
01:17 P.M. – **I'm inside your house.  
** 01:20 P.M. – **Ciel, are you ignoring me?**

Yes, yes he was. Ciel's phone had been buzzing non-stop in his pocket all day and it was driving him up the wall. He didn't know how to respond to Sebastian now that he knew the vampire was killing everyone around him. All his teasing comments suddenly seemed threatening and really, really creepy.

"What's up, pumpkin?" Ann asked as Ciel turned his phone off to shut it up. She and Grell had extended their trip to 'help' in light of all the recent trouble. Ciel wasn't sure what two outsiders could possibly do to help in this situation, but his parents seemed to think it was a good idea. Even the elders grudgingly accepted it, though they made no effort to mask their contempt for Ann and Grell. Weird, but whatever. It gave him two more people to keep him occupied while he waited for everything to blow over so Ciel didn't argue.

"Nothing's wrong, I just wanted some quiet."

"Are you fighting with Sebas-chan?" Grell garbled out through her mouthful of sandwich.

Ciel grimaced, glad he was already done eating with his plate pushed aside on the brightly-patterned diner table. "Yeah, something like that." He stirred his milkshake as he brooded.

"Who's that?" Ann asked.

Grell's mouth widened in an **O** , thankfully food-free this time. "You mean no one's told you about Ciel's boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend!" Ann gasped, looking at Ciel.

Ciel groaned loudly, throwing his head back on the padded booth. "He is _not_ my boyfriend."

"Ciel does some pretty hot and heavy things with his not-boyfriend," Grell muttered out of the side of her mouth, " _if_ you know what I mean."

Ciel thunked his head down on the table. "God, I hate you."

"You're gay?" Ann asked.

"Please, say it a little louder," Ciel grumbled, head still down. "I don't think all the testosterone-riddled Were-jocks heard you. They'd love another reason to beat up on me."

A hand settled on his shoulder. "I'm sorry sweetie, it was just a surprise, that's all. Rachel never mentioned it."

Ciel snorted, lifting his still-pink face to give her a look. "Gee, mom withheld information so she could shock you with it later? That's not like her at _all_."

"You cheeky little brat," Ann laughed. "You know that's exactly what she always does, but now I've got a leg up thanks to you. Does this mean you're on my team now?"

"Oh, hell, no." Ciel sat up straight to hold up a warding hand. "I am not picking sides between you two."

Grell snickered. "Kid's kind of bright for a werewolf."

"Thanks," Ciel said sarcastically.

Grell shrugged, holding aloft a fry. "I calls 'em like I sees 'em. You've got to admit, werewolves are a big bunch of rage-fueled, xenophobic meatheads." Ann nodded thoughtfully and even Ciel had to concede the point.

"What are you doing on Sunday?" Ann asked suddenly.

"Um, I don't know?" Ciel answered questioningly.

"Do you think you'll make up with Sebastian by then?"

Ciel snorted, stabbing his milkshake with his straw like he was staking the vampire in question. "Freakin' doubt it. Why?" He chugged the abused drink before it melted and got nasty.

"Aw, things will work out, honey. Wouldn't want to miss Valentine's Day, would you?"

Ciel choked on his shake. "What! What does that have to do with anything?"

Ann clucked her tongue. "I know you're mad now, but I'm sure you guys will make up soon and this will all be water under the bridge. What's the problem, anyway?"

Ciel swallowed, blinking like a deer caught in headlights. "Um, well. I …" _Fuck_. The time to say that Sebastian was the vampire stalking him had well and truly passed. If people thought he was guilty before, learning that he had boinked the murderer and conveniently forgotten to tell anyone would certainly cement his guilt in their eyes. They'd probably think the nutbag was doing it on Ciel's orders. Ciel grimaced. He hadn't wanted to worry his parents when Sebastian was just playfully stalking him. He had avoided explaining their awkward relationship after they screwed because it was easier not to. He had been too stunned by the Green Witch's revelation to say anything then. His reasons were all so innocent and harmless on their own but they'd built up a great, unsurpassable wall that Ciel was now trapped behind. Maybe the elders were right to keep the star blade from him; Ciel didn't even trust himself anymore.

Ann patted his leg consolingly. "It's okay; you don't have to tell me. Just talk to him, okay? Nothing will get better if you don't communicate."

Ciel nodded, chewing on his lip. She had a point. He definitely wasn't going to smooth things out with Sebastian, but the creature would just keep pestering him until Ciel finally maned up and told him to sod off. Confrontation was unavoidable.

\---

Ciel: **Leave me alone.**  
Sebastian: **What's wrong?**  
Ciel: **You're bugging the crap out of me.**  
Sebastian: **I see. Apologies.**

Radio silence.

Ciel stared at his silent phone in blank wonder. That had been far too easy. He had stressed all day about responding, dreaming up increasingly horrible scenarios to prepare for. Immediate acceptance wasn't one of them. He rolled onto his stomach and kept his eyes locked on his phone's screen, waiting for a new message to ding. When half an hour had passed, he flicked his eyes from his phone's clock to his alarm clock to make sure it wasn't playing tricks on him. Both read 11:08 P.M.

Suspiciously, he watched his dark window, waiting to see if Sebastian would burst in and kill him for the rejection. For some reason, he found this total silence more disturbing than the constant dings and buzzes he had suffered through all day.

When midnight rolled around, he had to admit that Sebastian had simply … given up.

Over the next four days, Ciel saw neither hide nor hair of Sebastian. While his absence wasn't uncharacteristic (they usually went weeks at a time without seeing each other), it was unsettling. Ciel felt the muscles in his back tensing more with every Sebastian-free hour, as if expecting the vampire to jump out and shout "Boo!"

When he came downstairs late Sunday morning his first thought was that the vampire had broken in and killed his family as punishment. Splatters of red coated every surface, dripping down from the ceiling and puddling over the floor. Great crimson swaths of it blanketed the furniture, glistening in the bright morning light. After a few hard blinks, he realized it wasn't glistening, it was _glittering_. He took a few careful steps forward to run his fingers through a puddle of glitter on the entry table. Red sparkles and tiny paper hearts clung to his hand. Looking around with new eyes, Ciel could see more paper hearts and a few little cupids on the walls.

"–ou've really done it this time!" a voice rose from the kitchen.

"Oh, lighten up," Ann's smooth voice responded. "It was just a bit of fun."

"Fun? What exactly is 'fun' about coating my entire house in craft herpes?" Rachel demanded.

"It's Valentine's Day!" Ann said happily. "It's supposed to be bright and happy and fun. Isn't glitter fun?"

"You'll see exactly how much fun it is while you're cleaning it up tonight," Rachel warned.

"Psh, fine. You're welcome. Until then, just enjoy it."

Ciel walked in to find Rachel and Ann glaring like tomcats and Grell sitting at the little kitchen dinette table, sipping coffee from a red mug and watching the show with quiet amusement. Ciel shuffled over to the table and flopped down. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Are they always like that?"

Ciel eyed his mother and aunt, who were now whipping up pancakes together, chatting like they hadn't just been about to kill each other twenty seconds ago. "Uh, yeah. Pretty much. Where's dad?"

Grell snorted. "He took one look at what Ann and I were doing this morning and left before Rachel woke up. He's definitely where you get your brains from." Ciel smiled at the thought of his dad slinking out to avoid his human mother's tantrum. Big bad werewolf indeed.

"Ciel, sweetie, do you want anything in your pancakes? We have blueberries," his mom offered.

"Do we have chocolate chips?" he asked hopefully.

"You don't need so much sugar this early –"

"Oh, let the kid have it," Ann interrupted. "He obviously hasn't made up with his boyfriend yet. He needs a pick-me-up."

Rachel looked from Ann to Ciel before silently digging out a bag of chocolate chips and adding a handful to the batter of Ciel's pancakes. "Just don't get used to this kind of treatment, mister. I'm going to fix your diet if it kills me." Ciel rolled his eyes at her idle threat, not bothering to respond. If she hadn't cured him of his chocolate obsession by now, it seemed unlikely it would ever happen. Thankfully, all the older adults seemed to have a tacit agreement not to ask him about Sebastian, which he appreciated. They just fed him pancakes and talked nonstop to keep his mind off his missing not-boyfriend. Vincent returned around lunch time and spent the afternoon with them, playing board games and watching cheesy romantic comedies as the women sighed happily.

After dinner, Vincent presented Rachel with a dazzling pair of diamond earrings that sent her squealing and prompted Grell and Angelina to exchange gifts as well. Ciel rolled his eyes at the mush, even when he was given with a few nice boxes of chocolates of his own. Thankfully this silly, sappy holiday only came once a year and it genuinely did seem to brighten Ann's spirits, so Ciel endured it with a smile. As he watched her giggle off to one side with Grell, he had to admit he was happy she finally had someone to share it with. He hadn't spotted any of her usual sadness peeking out as it normally did when the day inevitably reminded her of her departed husband.

Both couples retired early and Ciel was old enough to know exactly why. He retreated to his own room, fully intending to blast music through his headphones until morning to preserve his virgin ears from any holiday noises. He flicked on his light and headed immediately for his iPod on his desk, freezing when a package on his bed caught his eye. It was small and almost perfectly flat; only the smallest glint off the shiny paper had caught his eye. Ciel froze and looked around the empty room. His window and bathroom doors were closed with no sign of Sebastian lurking anywhere. Cautiously, as if the little rectangle were a poisonous snake, he scooted closer, one hand outstretched (whether to touch it or defend himself he wasn't sure).

The gift sat innocuously on his brown comforter, its red paper only a few shades off in color. Ciel stared at it long enough that he finally felt stupid for being brought to a standstill by an inanimate object and sighed in frustration. In one quick movement, he snatched it up and tore the paper off carelessly to prove to himself that he wasn't afraid of a – book? His eyes widened as read the cover multiple times, flipping it over and over in his hands before lifting the cover and choking. It was a first edition copy of _The Hound of the Baskervilles_ in book form – signed! He blinked stupidly at it, one hand covering his mouth, though he had no idea how or when it got there. The fingers of his other hand gently traced the gold leaf stamped into the red cover and ran over the picture of the giant black dog.

He sat down on his bed and opened it to the first page, immediately engrossed in the story though he had made no conscious decision to read it.

"That was my reaction, too, the first time I read it," Sebastian's voice rolled from the corner, making Ciel jump so hard he almost dropped the book. He would have sworn the vampire wasn't there a second ago. Choosing not to tease him about it, Sebastian continued, "I was on a train out of London and picked up a magazine to pass the time. That was one of the stories in there."

"When was that?" Ciel asked automatically.

Sebastian lifted a hand to his chin. "Late eighteen-hundreds, right before I left for America. Trains are one of the few things I miss from that era."

Ciel closed the book and hugged it to his chest, immediately interested despite his distrust. Sebastian rarely spoke of the past. "Why? I mean, trains are still around."

The vampire made a face. "They're not the same. They used to be luxurious and novel. Though come to think of it, the newness was a large part of their appeal. Maybe I've changed, not them," he mused, stepping closer.

Ciel tensed. "Stay back."

Sebastian stopped, head tilted. "What's wrong?"

Ciel's heart pounded in his chest. Should he call Sebastian on his murders and risk a blowup or play it dumb and stay safe? "I just – need some space," he said haltingly.

Sebastian arched a brow and took one step back. "Better?" Ciel nodded, regarding him silently. "So, I take it you like the book?"

Ciel licked his lips and nodded, book still crushed to his chest. If it were anything else he would have ignored it or thrown it back in Sebastian's face but he loved books, this one in particular. "How did you know?"

Sebastian lifted one elegant finger, pointing at Ciel's bookcase. "You have two copies, both beat to hell. I assumed you must like it to read it so much."

Ciel's face softened at the care Sebastian had put into picking it out. "Thank you," he said earnestly. "It was my favorite growing up because of the dog. My dad always retold it as a werewolf like him and I couldn't wait to grow up and be one, too."

Sebastian smiled. "I take it your father is a wolf, then?"

Ciel nodded. "Most Weres are. It's really common."

"But not you; you're something special," Sebastian said, eyes twinkling.

Ciel groaned at the familiar probing, throwing an arm over his eyes. He honestly didn't know why the vampire bothered with all this hinting around. Was he just teasing for the hell of it or would he get some sick pleasure out of hearing it come from Ciel's own mouth? "I'm not going to say it, so just give up."

"I brought you a book," Sebastian purred seductively, much closer than he had been.

Ciel whipped his arm off his eyes to see the man had crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around the bed post at Ciel's feet. He cursed himself for lowering his guard. "I told you to back off," he said breathily, hating the note of fear in his voice.

"Have I done something to offend you?" Sebastian asked, trailing a hand up to rest on Ciel's sock-clad foot.

Ciel jerked away. Fuck it, he wasn't going to play the scared maiden in this scenario. He stood up, holding the hardcover book tightly in his hands, prepared to use it as a weapon if necessary. "Yeah, I'd say you have."

The creature's face split into a smile at the sound of challenge in Ciel's voice. "And exactly what, pray tell, have I done?"

"Oh, I don't know, murdering my packmates, maybe?" _Abort, abort, fucking abort!_ his mind screamed as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Sebastian's face fell from amused to displeased in the blink of an eye and Ciel felt like all the air in his lungs had been sucked out. If he thought his father's frown was scary, it was only because he'd never seen a frowning vampire.

Voice like brittle ice, Sebastian noted, "That's an ugly thing to say. Exactly who am I supposed to have murdered, if you'd be so kind as to tell me?" He stood perfectly still, like the statue he resembled, not so much as a hair twitching. The unnatural sight made Ciel want to run and scream and cry all at the same time.

Refusing to back down, the Were dug his nails into one palm and used the pain to ground himself. "Lawrence Bluewer. Adam Cheslock. Tobias Clayton," he listed calmly. "You bastard."

Sebastian's brow twitched minutely, though he remained otherwise unmoving. "And _why_ exactly are you so certain _I_ committed those petty murders?"

"I see you're not denying it," Ciel pointed out.

"Would it matter if I did? You seem dead set to paint me as the villain for some reason. Is it because I'm a vampire or an outsider? What illogical werewolf prejudice has twisted your little mind against me?"

"Don't you dare pull the prejudice card on me, asshole! The Green Witch told me a vampire was stalking me, obsessed with me, and killing everyone around me. Sound like anyone you know?" he challenged.

Sebastian snarled. "As it turns out, no, it doesn't. I'm not the only vampire on the planet, in case you haven't realized, and I haven't met every other one. We don't have tea and cakes and sit around talking about the spoiled little rich boys we're _stalking_."

Ciel stiffened, jaw clenching. "Get out," he commanded through his teeth. He stared straight ahead, eyes locked on the wall, refusing to look at Sebastian. He was about to repeat himself when he realized the vampire had already gone. In a fit of rage, he threw the book across the room and screamed wordlessly. Ciel stomped over to the window and flipped the lock. It was a futile gesture; if the vampire wanted in he'd simply break the glass, but it made Ciel feel better. After a second of silently fuming, he retrieved the book from where he'd flung it. Ciel guiltily smoothed the bent pages and fingered a new dent in the cover. _Poor book_ , he thought. It wasn't the book's fault Sebastian was a murdering asshole. He stared at it sadly for a minute before sighing. He couldn't look at it right now without thinking about the man who gave it to him but he sure as shit wasn't throwing it out. Instead, he yanked open his desk drawer and placed it safely out of sight until he calmed down.

Ciel kicked off his socks and climbed into bed fully clothed to lie stiffly, staring at the canopy over his head. He got no sleep that night.

\---

A loud _bang_ pulled Ciel's attention off his laptop late the next afternoon. He padded sock-footed into the hallway to see what the commotion was.

"– ungrateful sonofabitch!" Ann shrieked. Ciel watched as another shoe was flung out of her open bedroom door at the end of the hall to smack against the opposite wall with another impressive _bang_. "Why do they even bother letting me sit in if they won't let me speak?"

Well, that ruled out Ciel's initial guess of a lover's spat. He crept closer, still deciding whether or not he wanted to intervene.

"Ann, no! Not the Louboutins!"

There was a brief pause before both of Grell's oxfords crashed into the hall with a quick _thump-thump_. Ciel arched a brow, seriously considering retreating to his room.

"I hate them," Ann said softly.

"I know," Grell responded consolingly. "We don't have to stay, you know."

Ann sighed. "We've been over this. I'm not just going to run away; I want to do things right."

Grell huffed an exasperated sigh. "Well if you insist on doing everything the hard way, at least stop bitching about it. And don't take it out on the shoes."

Ciel heard footsteps approaching and made the snap decision to step up and announce himself so he wouldn't be caught lurking. "Oh, hey Grell," he said, as if surprised to find her stepping out to pick up the pile of spent shoe ammunition. "What's all this?"

"Oh, Ann's just letting off a little steam," she said deceptively brightly.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, poking his head around the doorframe to see Ann sitting on the edge of the white bed, arms wrapped around herself. Sunset painted the white room in a warm, golden light. Her dark expression lifted when she saw him peeking around the corner.

"It's alright, pumpkin. Come on in." She extended her arms to him and he carefully approached. She gave him a quick, reassuring hug and pulled him down to sit next to her on the fluffy comforter. Ciel squirmed uncomfortably but didn't want to snap at her when she was obviously already upset. "Those crusty old werewolves are just getting under my skin a bit. Sorry if I worried you."

"What'd they do?" he asked.

Ann snorted, frowning. Grell chimed in with, "Absolutely nothing and that's the damn problem."

"Grell!" Ann snapped.

"What? It's the truth. Those old twats are running around in circles chasing their own tails and they spit on anyone who tries to help." Grell was carefully lining up the abused shoes across the room.

Ann glared, her red eyes burning holes into Grell's back. "That is enough. I don't want to worry Ciel."

"It's okay," he said. "What'd they do to upset you, though?"

Ann chewed her lip for a moment before saying diplomatically, "They're just not fond of outsiders." She left it at that and Ciel drew his own conclusion that they must have said something hurtful to her. He wasn't really good at the whole 'comforting' thing, but he tried anyway. Ann was doing her best to help (though what 'help' she could offer, he had no idea) and he was upset for her that the council invited her to stay only to snub her efforts.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Ann."

She gave him a light squeeze. "Thanks, pumpkin, but I'm fine. Really. I'm not going to let a pack of rigid fossils run me off that easily."

"Me-yow," Grell drawled, making a clawed swipe from across the room. "That's it. Stay fierce, darling."

Ciel snickered, glad Ann was smiling again.

"What about you, huh? What are you doing all cooped up inside on a pretty day like today?" Ann asked.

Ciel scooted away slightly. "Uh, nothing, I guess."

"Don't you want to go outside? We have some time before dinner. Grell and I can come with you."

"Oh, thanks for volunteering me without asking," Grell sniffed, "but it just so happens I _am_ free."

 _Outside, where Sebastian and my idiot packmates are? No thanks_. "No, I'm good."

"Ciel," Ann chided, taking on a motherly tone. "You can't hide forever. You need to get back out there and start living your life again."

"I'm not hiding," he argued automatically, getting to his feet, "I just don't want to go out. I'm in the middle of something, so I'll see you guys later." With that, he retreated to the safety of his room where he was most certainly _not_ hiding. And he definitely didn't skip dinner to sulk there like a moody teenager, either.

A few hours later, he flopped back onto his bed with a frustrated sigh. Maybe he was hiding. How pathetic. He resolved to stop that stupid, childish behavior at once. It was too late to go outside and challenge anyone, so he did the next best thing: he marched over to his desk and pulled out Sebastian's gift, determined not to let thoughts of that murderous nutbag bog him down. Papers clung to the back cover and he shook them off, pausing when he saw his scribbled murder notes staring back up at him from his night of playing detective last week. He pulled them out curiously, putting the book back inside for now.

 _Fat lot of good these did me_ , he thought in exasperation as he spread the pages of alibis and motives out on his bed. _I ruled out the true culprit first thing. Sherlock would be disgusted._ The majority of the pages focused on Alois's group, his own prejudice clearly driving his mini-investigation. Sebastian's segment was only a single line at the beginning: "99% sure he was with me when Lawrence was killed. Cheslock ??? Didn't know Clayton hit me."

Ciel blinked.

The last two were too flimsy to even be considered excuses, but the first one? That was a damn good alibi. Sebastian had been three feet away from him from the time Lawrence was still in his field of view until around the time the body was found. That would mean there was no virtually way Sebastian _could_ have done it.

Ciel's brows pinched. _That doesn't make any sense! The witch clearly said it was the vampire who was stalking me, someone so obsessed he'd literally kill to have me. That's got to be Sebastian._ Ciel chewed on his thumbnail as he paced and tried to remember her exact words. She said it was stalking him. And that it wanted him. And that it wouldn't stop until everyone around him was dead so it could have him all to itself. _Yeah, that was it_ , he decided, frowning. _Not helpful. It still fits Sebastian to a T_. He stopped in front of his bed, eyes locked on that one damned line that all but proved Sebastian's innocence. The Green Witch had said one vampire was responsible for all three deaths; without the first murder, Sebastian couldn't be behind the others. But if not him, then _who_?

Ciel examined the pages one more time before shoving them straight into the garbage. Everyone else on the list was a young werewolf and obviously not the mystery vampire.

He sat on the edge of his bed feeling exhausted. And guilty. His eyes settled on the drawer of his desk. Chewing on his lip, Ciel pulled out his phone and sent a simple " **I was wrong. I'm sorry.** " text to Sebastian. As an afterthought he unlocked and cracked his window despite the cold, symbolically leaving the door open should Sebastian want to talk in person. Retrieving the book, he shucked off his clothes and crawled into bed, cradling the novel to his chest. The comforting scent of old pages filled his nose and he breathed deeply. He snuggled down into the blankets, gripping the book like a teddy bear.


	6. Chapter 6

Ciel was halfway asleep when an arm wrapped around his waist. "S'bastian?" he slurred. Cool lips pressed to the back of his neck, making him shiver.

"I'm here."

"Sorry," Ciel murmured, pressing back into the body against his spine.

Sebastian stroked a hand over his head. "I know. What changed?"

Ciel rolled over, waking up enough to look at him and say, "You were with me when Lawrence died. I should have known it wasn't you."

Sebastian leaned down to press a kiss to Ciel's forehead. "It wasn't me."

"That's what I just said," Ciel grumbled, annoyed.

"I know; I wanted you to hear me say it. I didn't kill any of your friends." Sebastian ran his fingers over Ciel's cheek. "Do you believe me?" Ciel nodded, leaning his head into the touch. A hard corner dug into Sebastian's chest when Ciel tried to press closer. "Is that a book or are you happy to see me?" he asked unnecessarily, grinning down at his gift clutched tightly in the boy's hands.

Ciel blushed, twisting to set it safely on his side table before he damaged it any more. "I really do love it." He pressed his lips sweetly to Sebastian's. "Thank you."

Sebastian wrapped his arms snugly around Ciel. "You're very welcome. Happy late Valentine's Day." The little Were hummed, kissing up and down the vampire's neck. Blunt teeth bit down unexpectedly, making Sebastian hiss in pleasure. "What are you up to now, pet?"

"Giving you your present." _And apology,_ he added silently. Ciel's hand ran down Sebastian's stomach and over his pants to grip his growing bulge, massaging it firmly.

"Mm, I'm liking it already." Sebastian closed his eyes as a hot little tongue teased his ear. Ciel chuckled before ducking down under the covers to lick at his clothed erection. Sebastian groaned and reached down to unzip himself, eyes snapping open when his hands were slapped away. He lifted the blankets to stare down curiously, breath catching at the sight of reflective eyes staring back up at him.

"This is my present, sod off," Ciel stated firmly, playfully biting at his cock through the layers of fabric. He jerked the blankets out of Sebastian's hands and tucked them back down to obscure himself from sight, leaving Sebastian with nothing to do but lie helplessly still and feel every blasted amazing thing Ciel did to him. Little fingers rubbed teasingly up and down his shaft through the fabric, a hot mouth breathing steamy air over the head. One hand reached down to cup his balls as that damn tongue slid back and forth tauntingly. Sebastian tossed his head back and did his best not to squirm or break down begging. Finally, he felt his zipper being pulled down. His relief was short-lived as a whole new level of torture began through the thin fabric of his boxers.

"Ciel," he groaned, not able to take it anymore. "Mercy, please." He fisted his hands in the blankets at his sides so he wouldn't reach out to help again. Thankfully, his wish was granted and a warm hand freed him from his confines. He looked down reflexively, cursing when the blanket blocked his line of sight. He couldn't argue that it heightened his senses, though. Sebastian gasped as Ciel's tongue licked delicately under his head, hissed as fingers tickled over his shaft, and sighed as soft lips planted tiny kisses up and down his length. He was already a twitching mess and the boy hadn't even put him in his mouth yet. Sebastian made an absolutely inhuman sound as Ciel's lips finally closed around him, bathing the cap of his erection in fire. His Were-hot tongue flicked back and forth over the slit, milking Sebastian of precome and moaning like he lived for it. Hands squeezed his girth, pulsing around him like a heartbeat. A steady stream of expletives flowed from the vampire's mouth in a mismatched mélange of languages. His profane chant exploded in volume when Ciel sank down to the hilt, engulfing his cock whole and swallowing it down his tight throat. Goddamn. If this was the kid's reaction to one book, he was going to buy a library.

He bucked his hips and snaked his hands under the covers to grasp Ciel's head, unable to be still any longer. The Were retaliated by scraping suspiciously sharp teeth along his length, driving Sebastian wild. His back arched at the mild pain and he panted, "More."

Ciel chuckled and began to handle him more roughly. He pinched the tip of Sebastian's erection with his fingertips and grazed his fangs gently down the side, marveling at the shudder it produced. He licked sweetly at Sebastian's sack before biting down hard right next to it, earning himself a cry of pleasure. A slate brow lifted at the response. Vampires certainly were a strange lot if this one was anything to go by. Strong fingers dug into his scalp, threatening to rip him a bald patch. "Fucking ow," he stated, pausing his ministrations until the fingers relaxed their grip and petted his head soothingly. "That's better." He stuffed the fat shaft back into his mouth, sucking hard. Sebastian gasped loudly, pushing at his shoulders in warning. Ciel stubbornly latched on, gripping tighter and swirling his tongue like crazy to drive him over the edge. He swallowed rhythmically as Sebastian twitched and pulsed on his tongue, spilling his seed with a sated groan.

In the blink of an eye, Ciel was snatched up and crushed to Sebastian's chest. The vampire peppered adoring kisses all over his face.

"Gah! Ah! Stop," Ciel whined and pulled back, disoriented from the sudden change in position.

Sebastian planted one more on his nose just to test his patience. The vampire tucked Ciel's head under his chin and cradled it to his neck as he stroked the boy's hair and back. "That was lovely. Thank you."

"Stage Five Clinger," Ciel grumbled, snuggling closer despite his complaint. He let out a small yawn and felt himself drifting off again. The vampire continued his petting, just like he had when Ciel was a cat, and it had the same effect of lulling him straight to sleep.

Ciel would have sworn he had just closed his eyes for a second but harsh morning light was slamming directly into his face to prove him wrong. Groaning, he rolled over and buried his head under a pillow. After a second, he realized something was off. He slapped out a hand to feel the other side of his bed only to discover it was cold and empty. He craned his neck up to look, frowning around his empty room and wondering when that asshole had snuck out this time. Ciel ran his tongue over his fuzzy-feeling teeth and scowled. He needed a shower and an entire carafe of coffee.

He washed and dressed in record time, barely pausing to grab his phone in his rush to get downstairs. Ciel hesitated mid-step as a tiny white tent caught his eye. A folded note card sat atop his book with his name emblazoned across it in beautiful, flowing script. His lips turned up, wondering what kind of love note that ridiculous sap had left him. How did one say "Thanks for putting my dick in your mouth" politely, anyway?

Grinning in anticipation, Ciel flipped it open to read: "You snore."

\---

It had been two weeks since the pack got the vampire-killing dagger and they still had no plan to speak of. It drove Ciel absolutely up the wall. The elders were acting like just _getting_ the damn thing had made them automatically victorious. Their problem was compounded by not wanting to admit their lack of a plan to the pack at large or ask for help forming one. They acted like everything was perfectly under control while secretly running in circles behind closed doors. The only reason Ciel knew was through his father, who if possible was twice as frustrated as Ciel.

To make matters worse, Ciel himself was honestly at a loss. When he had thought the murderer was Sebastian, he wasn't fazed at all by the elders' incompetence because he knew _exactly_ how to get ahold of the vampire. Now that they were looking for a completely unknown one, though? Not so much. He itched to be included in the meetings that happened in his house but knew he had nothing to contribute. What rankled him more than anything was the fact that _Aunt Ann_ of all people got to participate while he was packed off to his bedroom every evening like a naughty child. Despite being included, she spent hours in a wretched mood every time the elders left, grouching about how awful they were. Ciel was determined not to let any of it get to him, though. He would just have to come up with his own plan and share it with them later.

The only feasible idea Ciel had worked out was using himself as bait. However, it required the use of Sebastian to spot and eliminate the other vampire with the star blade. For obvious reasons, he clearly could not tell the elders this plan. He wasn't too keen on alerting Sebastian to the existence of their secret weapon, either. Finally admitting he was getting nowhere on his own, Ciel did what he should have done last week and asked Sebastian: "How do you find a vampire?"

The man had cocked his head, looking at Ciel strangely as they strolled down the Riverwalk under the cheery midday sun. "Like you'd find anyone else, I'd assume."

Ciel huffed. "Big help, Count Retardula. You know what I mean."

Sebastian snickered. "You should be glad I like your particular brand of condescension. Try saying that one to everyone you know and see which one knocks your head clean off your shoulders; that should give you a pretty good idea of the vampire's identity."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Come on, seriously. Unless you want some other creeper to eat me before you can, tell me how to find him. Obviously the whole 'vampires can't go out in sunlight' thing is bullshit."

"Not completely," Sebastian countered. "It is very bright to our eyes, too much so for young vampires to handle at first. It doesn't _burn_ us, obviously, but a young vampire would be virtually blind in it until they learned to control their vampiric nature." Ciel stared at him, surprised. Sebastian usually skirted around questions about his abilities. Seeing Ciel's shock, the vampire explained, "You're my cupcake; I'm the only one who gets to eat you."

"Gee, I'm flattered," Ciel responded flatly, resolving to hold onto the star blade once this debacle was resolved so he would be prepared for the day Sebastian inevitably snapped and put him through its sequel. Honestly, he was beginning to question all the life choices he'd made to reach the point where he had to choose between the vampire who wanted to eat him now and the one that was saving him for later. "From the way you haven't mentioned it, I'm going to assume you haven't noticed any other vampire following me?" He wouldn't put it past Sebastian to drag things out unnecessarily for his own amusement.

The vampire shook his head. "No. But that doesn't mean he's not there."

"Great. Is there any way I would be able to tell him apart on sight?"

"Can you tell I'm a vampire just by looking at me?" Sebastian asked.

"N–" Ciel started, then stopped. He looked over at the taller man, really _looking_ at him. "I'm not sure. Sometimes you're too still, like a statue. You never – well, rarely – get hurt. And you're way too pretty."

Sebastian laughed. "Well, two out of those three are vampire traits anyway," he said with a wink, making Ciel blush. "I'm also exceptionally pale because the sun doesn't make me tan and my eyes are red."

"That's not actually helpful. There are lots of pale people who aren't vampires and I'm sure some vampires get spray tans. Likewise with eye color and contacts."

Sebastian held up a hand in concession. "You asked. I'm just answering your question."

Ciel nodded, thinking. "Okay, so how would _you_ go about finding him?"

"Well, most importantly, you're going to have to start coming out of your room."

"I'm outside right freaking now!" Ciel said, spreading his arms and turning in a circle to indicate the great, wide, open world around him. "Don't you people ever let up?"

Sebastian chuckled. "I take that to mean your family has been telling you the same thing?"

Ciel folded his arms in irritation. "Tch, yeah."

"Well, they're right. You need to start living normally and participating in the Challenge again." Ciel made a disgruntled noise and turned his face away, clearly not wanting to talk about it. The vampire tugged him to a stop and gripped his chin, leaning in to put their faces eye-to-eye. "The Challenge is an important part of your life. It is expected of someone of your station to participate. Don't throw it away because of this temporary inconvenience."

Ciel shoved him back. "What the hell would you know about my 'station' or the Challenge, outsider?" he demanded angrily.

Eyes sparkling with amusement, Sebastian responded vaguely: "More than you'd think. Now man up and go fight that little werewolf boy over there," he said, shoving Ciel toward another of the younger members who happened to be walking nearby.

Ciel stumbled forward a step and shot Sebastian a dirty look. "That's Jo Harcourt."

"Perfect. Go smash his face in."

"That is not how this works."

"I think I've watched you get your face smashed in enough times to know that's exactly how it works."

"Asshole," Ciel breathed. "Stay here." He smoothed his jacket before striding off. If he didn't go challenge Jo on his own, he knew Sebastian would do something to make it ten times worse. It was in everyone's best interest that he suck it up and get things over with. He watched the dainty white-haired boy's eyes widen in fear as he approached. Jo was thin and pale with long, straight hair and had shown absolutely no interest in the Challenge. He hadn't publically declared that he didn't want to participate, likely because his macho manly-man father was trying to beat some testosterone into his girly son, but it was well known that Jo's heart wasn't in it so most left him alone. Ciel grimaced as he watched Jo take a step behind his father. Tyler Harcourt was having none of it, though. He wrapped one beefy hand around the back of Jo's neck and pushed him forward, presenting him to Ciel.

"Try not to kill him until after he learns how to fight," Tyler said by way of greeting. Jo's big brown eyes went wide at his father's words and Ciel glared.

"I don't think that will be a problem, sir." He jerked his head at an alley across the street. "Let's do it down there. Keep the normals away, will you?" Tyler nodded, shoving his son at Ciel in much the same manner Sebastian had pushed him earlier. _Bullies, the lot of 'em_ , Ciel grumbled to himself. Ciel looked straight ahead as they walked, speaking out of the side of his mouth, "I don't want to do this either, but they won't let off until we do."

Jo looked back at Sebastian, who from a distance bore a striking resemblance to Vincent, and swallowed.

"I'll go easy and let you get in a few hits to satisfy your old man," Ciel promised. "Let's just put up a good fight to satisfy them, okay?"

Jo watched him out of the corner of his eye before giving the tiniest of nods, obviously still wary. "Yeah, okay."

Ciel walked to the back of the alley, turning to square off against the other. "You go first. Start when you're ready." He watched Jo bob on his feet and lick his lips nervously. The timid young man finally lunged forward and smacked Ciel clean across the jaw. If he'd had some muscle behind it, it would have been a good hit. Ciel let his head turn to the side anyway and responded with a half-strength smack to Jo's chest. The white-haired boy flinched instinctively, freezing when he realized it didn't really hurt. He looked up at Ciel with wide eyes before smiling and launching himself back into the fight, kicking and hitting like mad. A few of them stung, but most were completely ineffective. Ciel fought the urge to laugh, keeping his face serious like he would against anyone else and occasionally letting out a pained grunt for show.

Tyler Harcourt undoubtedly knew that Ciel was a contender for Top Five while his own son was not. Dragging it on any longer would be a clear indication that they were faking, so Ciel had to wrap things up quickly. "Okay, I'm going to end it now," Ciel warned. "This might hurt a little." Jo nodded in acceptance and Ciel slammed his fist into the boy's face, breaking his nose and sending him tumbling to the ground. He gave two swift kicks for show and backed off. Jo stayed curled up long enough to indicate he wasn't going to keep fighting. "You okay?" Ciel muttered.

Jo grinned up at him, bloody nose flowing freely and turning his teeth red. "Yeah." He accepted Ciel's offered hand and let the dark-haired boy pull him to his feet. "That was really awesome of you. Thanks."

Ciel half-smiled back, leading Jo back to his father, who was standing next to Sebastian awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable for some reason. Ciel snickered, morbidly curious to know what the vampire had done to him. Tyler took one look at Jo's face and sighed. "Lost again, eh?" Jo's grin faded and he stared down at his feet. "I saw you get some hits in this time, though. You're improving, kid." Jo's head whipped up at the unexpected praise, smile back in place. "Come on, let's go get a drink to celebrate." Tyler nodded to Ciel and Sebastian in parting.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you went easy on him," Sebastian noted with a knowing smirk.

Blue eyes searched his face intently for a moment before Ciel snorted. "And if I didn't know better, I'd say you knew that would happen."

"Me?" Sebastian asked innocently. "What could a mere outsider like I possibly hope know about werewolves? You're so complex and mysterious."

Ciel considered the vampire silently for a few long moments as they resumed their stroll. He mentally upgraded Sebastian from 'Bat Shit Insane' to 'Crazy Like a Fox.' There was clearly some method to the creature's madness, a burning intelligence behind his constant jokes and teasing. He resolved to keep it in mind in the future. "Fine, I see your point. I'll start participating in the Challenge again. How will that help me find the vampire?"

"Are you a Sherlock Holmes fan or not?" Sebastian asked with a hint of annoyance.

Ciel was about to snap at him for going off topic again when he realized what Sebastian was getting at. The Were snapped his mouth closed and looked straight ahead, thinking. After a few minutes, he reasoned aloud, "All the murdered boys did _something_ to me that the vampire might consider threatening, whether it was defeating me in a challenge or just harassing me on the street. There's a direct correlation between someone 'hurting' me and ending up dead." Sebastian nodded. "So … the vampire must be watching me somehow. Probably following me around on foot."

"Exactly," Sebastian agreed with a note of approval. "We just have to keep an eye out, watch bystanders and see if anyone keeps popping up. It's unlikely he'll come too close to you for fear of being spotted before he's ready."

A knot of worry tied in Ciel's gut at those ominous words. "Ready for what, exactly?"

"To take you, of course. He probably has some specific plan in mind if he's going through all this trouble instead of just breaking into your room at night and draining you dry."

Ciel stiffened, throwing a dirty look to the man next to him. "Real comforting, thanks."

Sebastian gave him a cryptic look. "It wasn't meant to be."

Ciel shuddered and seriously considered moving to Antarctica. Watching bystanders and hoping they noticed someone suspicious? That plan seemed even lamer than giving Sebastian the only weapon that could kill him and hoping he used it on the other vampire instead of immediately destroying it. A flash of curiosity hit him at that thought. "Hey, Sebastian? How would you stop the other vampire if you found him?"

"I'd rip his head off, of course."

"You can … do that? Aren't you guys hard to injure?"

"Yes, but we're also magically strong. It balances out."

Ciel nodded. It made sense. It also let him keep the witch's dagger to himself, so win-win.

\---

Sebastian definitely deserved props for his craftiness. The next two weeks were difficult but rewarding. Ciel meticulously tracked down as many competing boys as possible and challenged them. It not only got him back on track with his ranking, but the more people who fought him without dying, the more people started trusting him again. Coupled with high praises from Jo and Herman, the tides were steadily turning back in his favor. They hadn't spotted anyone remotely suspicious during the course of Ciel's "normal" activities and no one else had been murdered, but he still considered his efforts a success. Mrs. Harcourt had even un-uninvited him from tonight's full moon party. While Ciel was pleased, he still refused to attend. With that mystery vampire lurking in the shadows of his life, Ciel was even more determined than ever to master his shitty animal spirit in record time. The less time he spent in a vulnerable state, the better.

Ciel held out against the change twice as long this time, making it almost a full hour before he surrendered to his cat form. He seemed to be less winded after this struggle, too, so he mentally gave himself a gold star for progress.

Ciel performed his usual examinations and tests methodically, carefully scrutinizing himself for any changes. He was certain the other boys didn't share his scientific dedication; they probably just ran wild, enjoying their unfairly strong and cool forms. If anything good came from being a useless kitten (young cat, soon to be an adult, he reminded himself hopefully), it was that Ciel didn't let himself get caught up in their foolishness.

He was in the middle of trying to force himself back to human for the millionth time when a familiar _woosh_ caught his attention. Looking up, he watched Sebastian slide his window open and slip through with unnatural grace despite having been _specifically fucking told_ not to come around on the night of the full moon. Ciel let out an annoyed huff, not bothering to move from his seated position in the dead center of his room.

Sebastian looked first at the empty bed then slid his eyes to Ciel. "I see you're not hiding from me this time. Does that mean someone is glad to see me?" Ciel turned his face away and flicked his tail disdainfully. The vampire chuckled. "Such a cruel little thing you are." Ciel's lip twitched at the reminder of his size. And – then he was airborne, scooped straight up into Sebastian's arms and held securely against his chest as the giant murmured happy nonsense into his little pointed ears while rubbing his head.

Ciel stared blankly forward, enduring it stoically as he participated in his most frequent internal debate: _is Sebastian really this weird or is he just messing with me?_ Both sides had strong evidence. Seriously, what possible reason could the creature have for invading his space every full moon just to molest him and leave? It made absolutely no sense.

Sebastian's fingers scratched the base of his tail just right making him purr and contort his body. _I hate you, you bastard – yes, right there! How dare you do this to me? Hey, why are you stopping? No, don't start again … you suck so much._ Ciel flopped down, exhausted, and let Sebastian run his hand soothingly down his back in a long line. "Ah, how I missed you, my beauty," the vampire noted sweetly. "So sleek. So soft. Cats really are wonderful creatures." Ciel gave the man a dirty look. They were so going to talk about this once Ciel got the proper vocal chords back.

Once again, the man stretched out on Ciel's bed like he owned the place, shoes and all. Sebastian seemed to mistake his hateful glares for looks of pleasure and just kept petting and cooing at him as if the Were had devolved into a fully-blown moron just because he was now cat-shaped. Ciel huffed again, dropping his small chin to Sebastian's chest and trying really hard to regain human form so he could tell the asshole off properly.

Sebastian's head whipped to the door, Ciel's following a moment later when someone knocked. _Who the hell would_ –

"Ciel?" Ann called. "Are you okay? I thought I heard someone talking in there."

He rolled his eyes. Of course it would be Ann. Everyone else knew to leave him alone tonight no matter what. That woman had almost as many boundary issues as Sebastian. Ciel automatically snapped at her to go away, jumping a bit when it came out as a meow. Sebastian chuckled lowly. Ciel felt the vibration more than heard the sound and looked back at the vampire with wide eyes, hoping Sebastian wouldn't respond to Ann or open the door and drag him out for the others to see.

It turns out he didn't have to. At the sound of Sebastian's laugh, his door crashed open, the wood around the lock splintering. Ciel jumped to his feet on the bed next to Sebastian, back arched, hissing at the violent intrusion. A furious Angelina marched to the foot of the bed, ignoring Ciel and glaring at Sebastian. "Who the hell are you and what have you done with Ciel?"

Sebastian remained seated and grinned sharply. "I'm Sebastian." He seemed really pleased for some reason, a state which always made Ciel nervous. He flicked his eyes from the disturbingly happy vampire to his furious aunt, who was mysteriously ignoring him.

Angelina froze. The only movement was her eyes, which ran up and down Sebastian appraisingly before she peeled back her lips to reveal sharp teeth. In an instant, she was on him, pinning his shoulders to the bed. "Where is Ciel!?" she snarled in his face. Ciel's eyes bugged out of his head.

Sebastian's eyes flashed bright red as he flipped them over, now pinning Ann to the mattress with her wrists by her head. A startled Ciel barely had time to scramble out of the way to avoid getting crushed. "So you're the one stalking him. I've been looking for you, bitch," he whispered hotly in her face, lips parted to reveal his own mouth full of fangs. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart."


	7. Chapter 7

_No, no, no, no!_ This was not going at all like Ciel had expected. Casting aside the fact that Ann was a vampire for the moment, Ciel put all his effort into becoming human again – and it worked! It was an odd sensation he never wanted to experience again, like bending a joint the wrong way, but he did it. With an audible _pop_ Ciel ripped out of his cat form to scream "STOP!"

Both sets of red eyes whipped over to him, fang-filled mouths going slack.

"Let her _go_ , Sebastian!" Ciel demanded, pushing hard on the vampire's stony shoulder. "That's my aunt!" Sebastian looked from Ciel to a bewildered Ann and back before slowly releasing her wrists and sitting up, still pinning her legs.

"You're a _cat_?" Ann said stupidly, blinking at him like he had two heads.

Ciel gaped at her. That was seriously all she had to say? "You're a _vampire_ ," he pointed out, pissed. "Why the _fuck_ has no one ever told me this?"

"Language," she chided him, still flat on her back. "And get off of me!" She wiggled her legs, trying to dislodge Sebastian. With a nod from Ciel, he backed off the end of the bed, standing as Ann did the same on the side near her nephew. They eyed each other coldly, as still as statues, each clearly convinced the other was the bad guy.

Ciel sighed, putting one palm to his forehead and waving the other blindly between them in what was possibly the worst introduction ever. "Sebastian, this is my Aunt Angelina. Aunt Ann, Sebastian."

The two were silent for a long moment before Sebastian offered, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Stuff it up your ass." Ann rounded on Ciel. "What the _hell_ are you up to, Ciel? We've been searching for this asshole all month and I found you _in bed_ with him?" She shot daggers at Sebastian with her eyes, clearly itching to resume their tussle.

Ciel's blue eyes went round. "No! You've got it all wrong –"

Their struggle had apparently awoken the rest of the house. Vincent stormed in with a pistol, Grell and Rachel following close behind. Ciel's father took one look at the three standing around the bed and pointed his gun at Sebastian.

"Dad, no!"

"He's the vampire, Vincent!" Angelina shouted, pointing.

Three loud shots rang out, hitting the wall behind where Sebastian had been standing half a second before. The vampire was gone, window left open in his haste. Rachel raced over, crushing Ciel to her chest as Vincent rushed to the window to look for Sebastian.

Ciel struggled, pushing her away. "No! Stop. Everyone STOP!" The others froze, staring at him like he'd lost his mind. "Sebastian's not responsible."

Rachel gasped and Vincent scowled, demanding, " _That_ was Sebastian?" Ciel nodded.

"Oh, how tragic," Grell lamented dramatically, clutching a large hedge-trimmer of all strange things to her chest and swooning against the wall. "Star crossed lovers, a boy's disastrous lust for his own death and their secret midnight rendezvous."

Vincent gave her a dark look. "Shut your trap before I cram that stupid garden tool where the sun doesn't shine." Grell _eep_ ed and took a step back. He stalked forward to loom over Ciel, gripping his upper arm. "You've known all along who was behind these attacks?"

"No!"

Vincent shook him. "Were you in on it?"

"What? No!"

"Did you tell him to do it?"

"Dad, no." Ciel struggled in his vice-like grip. "You're hurting me."

Vincent shook him again for good measure. "Good!" he raged. "The pack is in an uproar, boys are dying, and you're _fucking_ the _killer!"_

"Dad!" Ciel cried, tears leaking out the corners of his eyes.

"Vincent!" Ann shouted. "Enough!"

He turned to snarl at her and she whipped out a hand to pinch a nerve cluster on his forearm, making his fingers fall numbly from Ciel. Rachel and Grell stood near the door, eyes wide at Vincent's outburst. Ann had shoved Ciel behind her and was staring Vincent down. The only sound in the room was a chorus of panted breaths. Slowly, Vincent's eyes slid closed. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

Chest heaving, Ciel was next to speak. "It wasn't him. He was with me when Lawrence died."

Angelina's face softened and she turned to look at her nephew. She ran a hand lovingly over his hair and cheek. "Pumpkin, Lawrence was found while you were driving home. It would have only taken seconds for a vampire to hunt and kill one boy."

Ciel's brows furrowed and he argued stubbornly, "Yes, but Lawrence's friends found him because he was an hour late meeting up. Sebastian was with me during that time; he couldn't have delayed Lawrence."

Ann sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Ciel, I'm not going to argue this with you. Sebastian could have done it. Trust me on this."

Ciel scowled and folded his arms, clearly disagreeing. "He let you go when I asked. Why would he do that if he was guilty? He's had plenty of opportunities to kidnap or kill me over the past three months and he hasn't."

Rachel looked at him with wide eyes. "T-three months?" She swallowed nervously.

Ciel met her worried gaze firmly. " _Yes_. I met Sebastian on my birthday. It's been almost three months now and he's never been anything but kind to me."

Ann rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ he's been nice to you; didn't you hear what that witch said? Sebastian wants you for himself. How well would that work if he dragged you off kicking and screaming? As someone who has ample experience with men and their dirty tricks, I can tell you that this is his way of wooing you. He's lulling you into a false sense of security so you'll go with him willingly. It's the oldest trick in the book."

Ciel snarled at her, baring his little kitty fangs. He didn't blame his dad for losing his temper; it was hard to think straight with the moon this full. He could feel his animal spirit rising up and fighting to come back out. He stomped it back down as best he could.

Ann huffed, not intimidated in the least. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, looking at her sister. "I don't know how you put up with them at this time of the month."

"So-o-o," Grell drawled slowly, looking back and forth between Vincent and Ciel. "Not to be that person, but shouldn't you two be dogs right now?"

Vincent quirked a brow about to say something rude when realization hit him. His head whipped around to Ciel. "Why _aren't_ you transformed?"

Ciel sniffed daintily. "I was earlier. I changed back."

Vincent looked from the moon to his watch and back to Ciel, a look of shock on his face. "It's barely past zenith on your third full moon. You shouldn't be able to change back for another three hours at least."

Ciel looked down at himself and gestured as if to say 'Here I am.'

"Is that … good?" Rachel asked.

"Good? That's _amazing_. I've never seen a kid with so much control before," He explained in awe and pulled Ciel into a tight hug. "Well done."

Ciel huffed and remained stiff in his arms, refusing to drop the important argument. "He didn't do it dad. I know he didn't."

Vincent pulled back to regard him levelly, one hand resting gently on either of Ciel's shoulders. "I know you don't want to believe it, but Ann says he could have."

"I don't want to believe it because it's not _true_ ," Ciel argued stubbornly. "And in case it escaped your notice, _Ann_ is a vampire! She could have done it herself but that doesn't mean she did."

"We weren't even in town until weeks after the Bluewer boy died and you know it!" Grell butted in. "Just admit that Sebas-chan is tall, dark, and dangerous already!"

Ciel glared. "Why are you here again?" The word 'outsider' was on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back out of consideration for Ann. He wanted to convince her, not antagonize her. "And how come no one told me about Ann?"

"Ciel," Vincent interrupted before Grell could respond. "I'm not saying that he _did_ do it, just that he _could_ have, alright? We're not going to hunt him down just for being a vampire but we can't rule him out based on your feelings." Ciel pursed his lips, still displeased but realizing this was the best compromise he would get at the moment. He gave one sharp nod. Vincent relaxed, dropping his hands back down to his sides. "Okay then. We'll talk about this more later."

It did not escape Ciel's notice that no one was answering his questions about Ann but he chose to drop it for the moment. Sebastian was the important issue right now and Ciel took comfort in the fact that Angelina looked sour, obviously no happier with Vincent's compromise than he was himself. Good. Now no one was happy.

"Since you're back on two legs, how about some hot chocolate?" Rachel offered.

"A grand idea," Vincent agreed, looping one arm over Ciel's shoulder to lead him into the hall. "I want to hear more about how you reversed your transformation so early. It took me almost a year to start cutting mine short."

Ciel tromped down the stairs with his father, the rest of his family following behind. "I don't know, I've just been trying really hard, I guess."

Vincent looked at him curiously. "Is that seriously what you've been doing this whole time, just sitting in your room fighting it?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

He shook his head, dropping his arm and following Ciel into the kitchen. "No reason. I've just never heard of anyone doing that before. Most young Weres enjoy the full moon and take the chance to play with others in their new forms." He scratched his chin thoughtfully as he regarded his son. Angelina bustled by them to begin heating milk on the stove.

Ciel snorted. "Most young Weres are imbecles then. Why would I want to be locked into my animal form against my will? Learning to control it is the only logical solution."

"Why, though?" Grell asked, reminding Ciel she was still present. Ciel frowned, still mad at her. "I mean, what's so bad about being a big bad wolf? All vicious teeth and strong muscles and dangerous claws, I'd take it."

Ciel huffed and looked away, content to ignore her.

"I don't think Ciel would mind that too much either," Ann noted from the stove. Angry blue eyes speared her to the spot, daring her to continue.

"Huh?" Grell asked intelligently.

"Ciel's not a wolf," Vincent clarified. _Et tu, pater?_ Ciel thought, shooting another dirty look at his father, who just laughed. "Ciel hasn't told anyone what he is yet, but I have a pretty good guess."

"You keep your freaky wolf nose out of this!" Ciel commanded, pointing at his father threateningly. Vincent simply smirked, leaning back in his chair.

"O-o-O-oh," Grell hummed, immediately interested. Her butt wiggled in her chair. "A mystery? Do tell."

"No," Ciel said flatly before anyone else could speak.

"I don't know why you're embarrassed," Ann said with a sigh. "You're absolutely ador–"

"Finish that sentence and die. I'm not even kidding. I know my Were teeth can hurt you."

Ann looked at him, shocked. "How could you possibly kno–" This time she cut herself off, regarding him with interest. "You _bit_ him?"

"He deserved it," Ciel responded haughtily. "I don't like being mocked for my animal."

Rachel looked back and forth between them. "What are you two talking about?" She glanced at Grell, who lifted both hands and shrugged. Vincent was still smirking silently at the head of the dinette table, apparently greatly amused. Ann turned her back and began pouring the hot milk into mugs and mixing it with chocolate powder mix to make cocoa. Rachel popped Ciel on the shoulder.

"Ow," he said blandly. It didn't remotely hurt.

"Don't you be keeping secrets from me, young man! It's bad enough that you won't tell me your animal spirit, me who suffered through sixteen hours of labor …" she trailed off as she noticed Ciel and Vincent mouthing along with her usual birthing tirade. Her lips turned down into a cute frown (something Vincent had learned long ago never to mention). Rachel grabbed both of them by an ear, pinching. A chorus of yips followed. "One of you needs to spill."

"G-r-r-r-owl," Grell purred. "Wolf momma's got some fangs."

Both men stayed silent, wincing as they gingerly tried to escape Rachel's grasp.

"Oh, for pity's sake," Ann said as she brought the mugs to the table. "Ciel bit Sebastian for teasing him about being a kitten and werewolf teeth can hurt vampires, happy?" She flopped into the last open chair and sipped her drink, clearly done dealing with delicate male egos for the night. Vincent looked mildly putout that the fun was over and Ciel sputtered and shook like a pot about to boil over.

Rachel blinked owlishly, fingers slackening in surprise. "A ... kitten?"

"Damn," Vincent muttered. "I would have bet money he was a panther like dad."

"I wanna see!" Grell exclaimed, eyes wide.

Ciel stared at her as if she'd just requested he strip naked and do the hula. "How about no?" Grell pouted. Ciel ignored her. He hid behind his hot chocolate, hoping everyone would just disappear.

Not only did the embarrassing conversation and teasing continue, it actually got worse over the next week. He found a blue nylon cat collar complete with bell sitting in the center of his bed the following afternoon. Cloth mice mysteriously kept appearing in his car and he found laser pointers in every room. The last straw was a cat toy crammed into his door frame. It had a neon pink puff ball on a sting attached to a long black handle. Snatching it, he marched downstairs and demanded, "Alright, which one of you fuckers is doing it!"

"Ciel!" Rachel gasped.

"Language," Vincent said slowly, not looking up from his book.

Ciel fumed, clenching the toy in his fist so hard that the plastic handle warped. "It's bad enough that you're all mocking me for something I have no control over, but this is crossing the line." He stared each one of them in the face, gauging their reactions. Ann's head was tilted, Rachel's brows furrowed quizzically, Grell grinning maniacally (normal for Grell), and Vincent looked completely uninterested. "Dad …" he said warningly.

Vincent finally looked up, brow arched. "I'd love to take credit, but I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."

Ciel regarded him levelly, nose twitching as he thought. "Fine," he gave in, throwing up his hands. If Vincent had done it, he would be cackling like a school boy at getting Ciel so riled up, not faking innocence. "I don't care who's doing it, I just want it to stop." With one last look around, he stomped back up to his bedroom to find a sachet of catnip waiting on his desk. Furious, he threw the cat toy to the ground and whirled around to glare at his empty room. "Sebastian!" he snapped.

"You rang?" the vampire purred into his ear from behind.

Ciel spun again and slapped him across the face so hard his hand went numb before bursting into pins-and-needles. Ciel gasped and clutched his now-stinging appendage to his chest. "You fucker."

Sebastian regarded him with an amused smirk. "You just slapped me in greeting and I'm the bad guy?" Ciel snatched the small bag of his desk and threw it at Sebastian's chest in explanation. "Not your brand?"

"You will stop taunting me this instant or I will kick you in the dick so hard you spontaneously grow breasts."

The vampire stared at him, surprised. "Just when I thought I'd heard everything. You do come up with the most colorful phrases." Ciel glared icily, not backing down one iota. Seeing that the boy was seriously pissed, Sebastian pulled him into a hug and petted his head. "I'm sorry, love, it was just a bit of fun." Ciel stayed tense and unyielding, hands trapped between them. Sebastian planted a kiss on his slate locks before pulling back. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

Ciel continued scowling for one long minute before finally allowing, "I'll let you buy me cake."

"I would be honored, young master," Sebastian said with a deep bow straight out of a Jane Austen movie. Ciel eyed him skeptically, briefly reconsidering going out in public with this nutcase. Shrugging, he gathered his things and jumped out the window again, trusting Sebastian to follow. Cake was cake. He could tolerate Sebastian long enough to eat a piece.

"Still ashamed of me, I see."

"More than ever."

"I guess I deserve that," Sebastian allowed.

"Damn right," Ciel muttered as he trudged through melty slush. After a few moments of tense silence, he grumbled, "Why now?"

"'Why now' what?"

"Why did you start teasing me about it _now_?" Ciel ground out, frustrated.

"I don't understand what you mean."

Ciel came to an abrupt stop, turning 90 degrees to stare Sebastian in the face. "Why did you suddenly start teasing me about being a c–!" He cut off abruptly, realizing what he was about to scream in the middle of the street where anyone could hear. "About being a you-know-what?" he finished in a whisper.

"A cat?" Sebastian asked slyly.

Ciel belatedly slapped his hand over the taller man's mouth. "Did you not just hear me _intentionally avoid_ that word? And you went ahead and said it anyway?"

Sebastian gently removed Ciel's hand, tucking it into his own and putting them down by his side. "Forgive me, I couldn't resist. And I wasn't teasing you, I was giving you gifts."

"Dumping a bucket of cloth mice in my car was a 'gift'?" Ciel asked skeptically.

Sebastian shrugged. "My own cats seem to like them."

"You have cats?" Ciel blurted. For some illogical reason he had always pictured Sebastian living in a dark, dank cave somewhere even though he knew the man almost certainly did not. It was just the silly image his mind had conjured up. He shook his head. "You know what, never mind, that's not the point. Why _now_?" he repeated for the third time. "You've known since February."

The vampire lifted a finger. "In point of fact, I only _suspected_ since February; I did not _know_ until three days ago."

Ciel gave him an absolutely scathing look. "You're telling me you broke into the house of a Were on the night of the full moon in a clear attempt to find out his animal form, found a cat you'd never seen before, and _didn't_ automatically assume it was the Were you were looking for? That's a little hard to believe, even for you."

Sebastian chuckled. "Like I said, I suspected, but you didn't change back when the sun came up so I assumed it really was a cat and you were out doing whatever werewolves do on the full moon."

"Oh, no, a supernatural creature not affected by the sun like legends say he should be. Shocker." Ciel deadpanned, resuming their walk to the cake shop.

"Point. I should have known it wouldn't be an issue with the way I've seen some of you transform during the day."

Ciel responded with a sniff, clearly not believing Sebastian's concession worthy of comment. His steps quickened slightly when he caught sight of the cake shop up ahead. Hopefully he could get his cake, scarf it in record time, and be done with Sebastian for the day. His emotions were all jumbled up and he didn't like it one bit. Part of him craved the older man's attention and acceptance; the other part loathed his stalking and teasing. He didn't know whether to push him away or pull him closer and it was driving him insane.

The bell on the red wooden door jingled as they entered. Ciel breathed in the heady aroma of cakes and coffee, shoulders relaxing at the familiar scent. He unwound his blue scarf now that they were inside the heated space. He didn't really need it anymore since he got his animal spirit, but it was cozy and familiar; he liked wearing it.

"Hello again! What would you like today?" The familiar pink-haired employee asked, clearly recognizing Ciel from his many visits.

"One slice of Devil's Food Cake and a cup of Earl Grey. And whatever this giant wants." Ciel jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Sebastian.

"A large coffee for me," Sebastian said with a charming smile to make Mey-Rin swoon. Ciel rolled his eyes as the red-faced employee stuttered and fumbled with Sebastian's credit card. How embarrassing. The other employee, a grizzled-looking blond man with the sloppily-written nametag reading "BARD," placed both mugs and Ciel's cake on the counter. He gave Ciel an amused smirk before going back to tinkering with one of the machines. Ciel ran his eyes over the woman who was trying to flirt with Sebastian while also half-hiding behind her hands before picking up his food and leaving them to it. She was acting out a pretty good impression of his own disorganized feelings and it was painful to watch.

Sebastian slid into the other side of the booth a few minutes later and gestured to Ciel's cake. "How is it?"

 _Freaking amazing_. "Okay." Ciel sipped his tea. "Done flirting already?"

Sebastian smiled broadly, displaying a disturbing number of white teeth. "Is that jealousy I detect?"

"Tch, you wish. What you're hearing is boredom. Maybe even disgust," Ciel noted lightly, staring out the window as he picked at his cake. He frowned as he caught a brief flash of a blond figure turning the corner, then shook his head. He really was getting paranoid if his mind automatically jumped to Alois every time he saw a short blond person. _Talk about crying wolf_ , he laughed to himself. The jerk had an uncanny knack for finding him, but his gang hadn't bothered Ciel since he started following Sebastian's advice and winning people back over. Alois's supporters had dwindled back down to just Maurice and his creepy older sycophant Klause or something. The three of them followed Ciel around and gave him dirty looks but they wouldn't dare start anything now that the majority of the pack liked him again.

"Oh? Then you won't mind if I pursue her?" Sebastian asked, red eyes gleaming playfully.

Ciel snuck a glance at Mey-Rin. Her big, round glasses were steamed up and her face was still as pink as her hair as she stared hard at the back of Sebastian's head, practically quivering with excitement. Ciel snorted. "By all means, go ahead. I want to watch your eardrums explode when she squeals."

Sebastian grimaced slightly. "Okay, you win."

Ciel smirked and ate another bite of cake before asking, "And what do I win?"

"That slice of cake?" Sebastian offered.

Ciel looked down at his almost empty plate. "You mean _this_ slice of cake that you already bought me to make up for being an asshole? I don't think so."

"Very well. What would you like?"

Ciel's mind was instantly filled with lewd requests. His ears burned red and he swallowed, refusing to voice any of them inside the quiet little café for fear of being overheard. "Just surprise me," he mumbled out, gaze fixated on a crumb on the table. Long, cool fingers caught his chin and tilted his face up. Silky smooth lips were suddenly pressed to his, causing Ciel's eyes to widen in shock before falling blissfully closed.

The sound of a screaming teapot made both men jump and look around. Mey-Rin was staring at them wide-eyed, blood dripping out of her nose as she made that godawful screeching noise. Ciel stared, dumbfounded. Sebastian tilted his head quizzically, making a fresh spurt of blood leave her nose. Bard sprang up behind her and clamped a towel over her face, pushing her into the back office and slamming the door. He turned to face the other two and scratched his neck nervously. "Sorry about that. She … does that sometimes. You guys want refills on the house?"

Ciel shook his head silently, gaze locked on the drops of blood on the counter. Sebastian nodded, bringing his cup up to Bard. Ciel would have sworn he was going to swipe some of that blood while the man's back was turned but he didn't. He just took his cup with thanks and walked back to the table to ask, "Are you done?"

Ciel looked at the two remaining bites of cake and felt his stomach somersault. He nodded quickly and abandoned it, marching out the door and quickly back toward his house.

"Don't tell me you're squeamish about a little blood," Sebastian said playfully after watching Ciel bolt.

"Why didn't you try some of it?" he asked over his shoulder, ignoring Sebastian's quasi-question.

"Because it was cold and nasty. The same reason I assume don't you eat old French fries off the floor."

Ciel lifted his brows and made a slight nod of agreement. He slowed his frantic pace a bit to let the vampire catch up (not that he needed the help), watching him out of the corner of his eye and trying not to let his frustration make its way onto his face. He hated showing weakness in front of other people, Sebastian most of all. "Hey, I got it from here. Why don't you give me a call later?"

Sebastian blinked at him, but Ciel refused to meet his gaze. "You aren't supposed to be out alone," he reminded the boy.

Ciel sighed, still not looking at him. "I am literally two streets away from home. Beat it, stalker."

Sebastian chuckled. "Very well. If that's the way you want it, who am I to argue?"

Ciel kept walking, pausing only when he stopped hearing Sebastian's footfalls behind him. He half turned to look and was immediately crushed against a brick fence, Sebastian plastered to his front, tongue already down his throat. Ciel could do nothing but fight to keep up. "Stop _doing_ that!" he panted when the larger man let up.

"Doing what? This?" Sebastian dove back in for another kiss. "Or this?" He ground their hips together, showing Ciel how aroused he was.

"Oh, that's not fair," Ciel breathed. His heart was panting and he knew his face was red and sweaty.

Sebastian nibbled on his ear. "Sending me home without desert is what's not fair."

Ciel shivered. _Silver-tongued bastard._ "You know my family's at home."

"So? Come back to my place."

Ciel's eyes shot open. "Your place?"

"M'hm," Sebastian hummed, running his lips under Ciel's jaw to make him moan. Small hands shoved him abruptly and Sebastian obediently took one step back. Blue eyes glared up at him.

"I'm not that easy, mister."

Sebastian arched one black brow. "So I've noticed."

"I'm going home and you're going somewhere that's _not_ my home and I'll talk to you later," Ciel commanded, folding his arms and regarding Sebastian imperiously.

The vampire smiled slowly. At what, Ciel wasn't sure. "As my young lord commands," he said with another of his stupid bows before disappearing.

Ciel snarled. He really hated it when Sebastian did that. He spared one last scowl at where the man disappeared before stomping toward his house. How that jackass managed to drag him through an emotional rollercoaster every time they met he would never understand. Seriously, how could one person be equal parts obnoxious and amazing?

Ciel stopped.

 _Woah. Nu-uh. No way. Not going there. He is obnoxious and irritating, the end,_ he told himself firmly. There was no way he was going to develop _feelings_ for that creepy asshole. He shuddered once before resuming his course. Ciel turned the last corner and saw his house … and three people who shouldn't be there.

"Oh, look Maurice, a pervert."

 _God fucking damnit_.

"Hey, Faggothive!" Alois called, using his favorite nickname. Ciel sucked in a breath, grimacing when he realized there was no way to get around them. He'd either have to push through or walk one street over and crawl over the back fence – and hell if he was doing _that_. No way was he going to give them the satisfaction of making him run. Ciel's lips pinched into a sour expression and he marched along the sidewalk, stopping across the road from his driveway and the three assholes blocking it.

"Move," he demanded forcefully.

"Ew, Alois, he just spoke to you with his dick-breath," Maurice cried, putting a hand over his nose and mouth like something smelled bad.

"What's wrong with you losers now?" Ciel demanded, patience long gone.

"We just saw you shoving your tongue down that old fucker's face. What is he, like forty?" Maurice asked with a sneer. "Is he paying you to be his boy toy or are you just that desperate?"

"I think he's just a disgusting little faggot," Alois jeered.

Ciel barked a laugh. "You've taken more dick than I ever will, Trancy." Alois's mouth fell open. "Yeah, just like that," Ciel added with a sneer of his own. Alois snapped his mouth shut, fuming. Maurice screeched, flinging himself onto Ciel and swinging madly as he pushed them both to the ground.

"How dare you – how dare you – how dare you!" he chanted, slapping and kicking ineffectively. Ciel didn't even try not to laugh. He hauled back and punched Maurice square in the nose, breaking it. He laughed even louder at Maurice's scream of pain. The smaller boy was barely off of him before Alois and his guard dog took his place. Alois was no shoddy fighter but the big one –damn! Kurtis? Klause? Whatever this loser's name was, he could _fight_. He was also a fully-grown member of the pack, not an initiate, so it really wasn't surprising.

All at once, the world went bright as the bodies looming over him were flung off.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you are _doing!?_ " Vincent's angry voice rang out, echoing down the empty street. "How _dare_ you gang up on a challenger right outside of his _home_ in broad daylight?" Ciel peeked up to see the Asshole Three cowering in front of Vincent and Angelina, who was cracking her knuckles and staring at them as if begging for them to move. "You know the Challenge has to happen one-on-one and away from homes. I should banish you all right now for your stupidity!"

"We weren't challenging him," Maurice spoke up, stupidly.

"Oh, then what _were_ you doing?" Vincent asked dangerously.

Alois kicked Maurice when he opened his mouth. All three remained stonily silent. Vincent took a step forward and they scuttled back. "I see. Whatever _this_ is, it better never happen again. Do I make myself clear?" He stared them down until every last one had nodded. "Now get out of here before I let Ann have you." She bared her sharp teeth and they turned tail and ran, the image of Clayton soaring through the air still fresh in their minds.

Back to Ciel, Vincent watched the Weres run. "I trust I don't have to remind you that you shouldn't go out alone?"

Ciel coughed up a mouthful of blood and pressed his hand to an undoubtedly broken rib. _Fucking Krouse_. "I wasn't."

Vincent turned to look at him, eyes wide in fake surprise. He made a show of looking up and down the street. "Oh, really? It sure looks like you're alone to me. Ann?" She ignored him and _tsked_ , crouching down to wipe Ciel's split lip with her gloved thumb.

The young Were pushed her off. "Sebastian was with me."

"I see he stuck around and took real good care of you," Vincent noted darkly.

Ann tried to examine him, but Ciel shoved her off again and stood up, bracing himself against the brick fence. "He left me at that corner there," Ciel said, pointing. "I didn't want you guys to give me a hard time about him so I said I wanted to walk this last block alone. I didn't know Alois was going to break the rules again," he added, trying to throw some blame back on the guilty party. Technically, fighting at home wasn't a _rule_ so much as a guideline, but whatever. He wasn't supposed to do it.

Vincent sighed, rubbing his eyes and chewing on his tongue. "Just get inside," he said, dropping it.

Ciel complied happily, hobbling inside quickly before his dad changed his mind. He flung open the front door and headed straight for his room, glad to have missed his mother this once. He locked his bedroom door and tore off his ripped, dirty clothes angrily. He threw them in a corner to deal with later.

Voices carried up from downstairs; Ann and Vincent were arguing about something. He had a pretty good guess what – or who – the topic was. Ciel took his phone into the bathroom with him and connected it to a speaker, turning his music up to block the sound of their voices before filling the tub. There was no way he was going back downstairs tonight. He was going to hide in here until he pruned.

 _It's not hiding; it's a strategic retreat_ , Ciel told himself as he sank down into the water up to his chin. He rested his head back against the porcelain, letting the water flow into his ears. The heat relaxed his muscles and dulled his pain. His scrapes and cuts should be fine by morning and the rib would only take a day or two before it was back to normal, but right now he was exhausted and aching. _Stupid Alois_.

He must have been more tired than he thought because the next thing he knew the windows were the pitch black of late night and his music had stopped playing, phone battery likely dead. Ciel sat up straighter in the tub, wincing when he felt the cold water sloshing around him. Yuck. This was the opposite of relaxing and he could already feel how his muscles had tensed up. Ciel splashed out and flipped on the shower, checking his phone as he waited for the water to heat up. Yep, it was dead. Problem number four hundred. He rolled his eyes and abandoned it for now; it could wait until he was no longer shivering.

Ciel climbed into the shower and stood under the spray until he was warm, resolving never to fall asleep in the tub again. He flipped off the water and reached for a towel, mumbling an automatic thank you when someone extended one to him. He whipped his head around in a double-take so hard he was sure he pulled something. "What the fuck!" He clutched the towel to his chest automatically.

Deceptively calm garnet eyes rolled over his exposed skin pointedly. "I should ask you the same thing."

Ciel glared and wrapped the towel under his armpits, covering as much of himself as he could. "I said you could _call_ me, not break in."

"That implies you would actually _answer_ my call," the vampire responded testily.

Ciel rolled his eyes and pushed past him to hold up his dead brick of a phone. "It died, see? Not ignoring you, just out of battery."

"And the rest of _this_?" Sebastian asked, waving a hand at the whole of Ciel's body.

Ciel slammed the phone back down and walked out of the bathroom. "Ugh! Just butt out already! I don't owe you an explanation for every little thing that goes on in my life." Ciel didn't want to talk about shitty Alois or how his family was fighting over his relationship. He especially didn't want to talk about the stupid _feelings_ that were starting to pop up when he was around Sebastian. Ciel whipped his towel off and jerked on some underwear, back to Sebastian. He followed it by violently tugging on a t-shirt and heavy flannel sleep pants, covering as much of his injured flesh as quickly as possible.

Mr. Boundary Issues was already pressed to his back, breathing in his ear. "Was it a challenge?" Ciel ignored him, slamming the drawers of his dresser shut harder than necessary. "Not a challenge then. Who hurt you?"

"Piss off." Ciel walked wide around him to crawl into bed. He laid down in the dead center, back to Sebastian, and closed his eyes. The room was completely silent. He cracked open an eye and jumped when he found himself nose-to-nose with the other man. He hadn't even felt the bed dip when Sebastian laid down. "Jesus fuck! What's wrong with you?" He scooted back a bit to put some space between then, clutching his broken rib and trying not to breathe hard.

Black brows drew together as Sebastian scowled. "I don't like other people touching my things."

"Woah, there! Hold up." Ciel jerked upright, too pissed to care that his rib was shanking his lung. "I am _not_ your property." Sebastian gave him a look that clearly said he disagreed. Ciel stuck a finger in his face. "I'm fucking serious, you psycho."

Sebastian sat up himself in a slower more controlled movement. "As am I. You are _mine_ and won't have anyone hurting you. Tell me their names."

Ciel slapped him hard. He knew it was not his brightest decision as soon as his brain caught up with what his body had done, but he did not care. The asshole deserved it. "No."

"Names," Sebastian growled, red eyes starting to glow.

" _No_ ," Ciel growled back just as fiercely.

The vampire's face looked murderous, but his touch was feather light as he ghosted a fingertip over Ciel's formerly split lip. It had healed back together over the past few hours and was only a red, angry line now. "Very well. If you won't tell me that, will you at least give me the satisfaction of knowing why?"

Ciel looked away. "It's nothing, really."

"You can hardly breathe right now. It is not 'nothing.'"

"I'll be fine by tomorrow. Just drop it, okay?" Ciel laid back down, trying to ease the pain in his chest. He'd been ignoring it pretty well until Sebastian pointed it out. "It's not a big deal."

Sebastian looked down at him, head tilted endearingly, long bangs dangling. "The fact that you refuse to talk about it makes it seem like one."

Ciel sighed and threw back his head, tired of evading. The asshole had asked for it so game on. "Fine, it was about you."

Sebastian blinked, shocked. "About me?"

"Yeah. They saw you shoving your tongue down my throat and beat me up for being gay. Happy?" He knew that wasn't really the reason. Yes, it was what they said but Ciel knew damn well they just wanted an excuse to harass him like always. They would have latched onto anything he did.

Sebastian kissed him sweetly on the forehead. "I'll kill them."

Ciel arched a brow. "That is the wrong thing to say right now."

"I don't care. I'll kill them."

"And you said it again." He huffed. "Seriously? You barely finished convincing me that you didn't kill the last three and you're going to go and start that?" _Check_. Sebastian grimaced but didn't retract his statement. Ciel snorted. "Fine, be that way. If Maurice Cole dies, I'm officially blaming you and nothing you can say will ever convince me otherwise." _Checkmate_. He knew the vampire wouldn't risk driving him away completely.

Sebastian chuckled, burying his face in Ciel's neck. "You crafty little thing. Alright, I promise not to kill them. This time."

Ciel hummed and nodded in acceptance. He honestly hadn't expected that much out of the creature. "Now if you don't mind shutting the fuck up, I'm exhausted and in pain. Let me sleep."


	8. Chapter 8

Ciel was reading his new copy of _Hound of the Baskervilles_ one sunny morning later that week when a knock sounded on his bedroom door. "Ciel?" his father called from the hallway.

Ciel's eyebrows rose and he walked across the room to open the door. "Dad? What are you doing home on a Thursday?" His father was dressed casually in khakis and a green sweater, not the business suits he usually wore to work.

Vincent held up an ordinary white envelope. "Quarterly results. I thought you'd like to look at them first."

Ciel's face split into a broad grin and he gestured for his dad to follow him inside. He crawled back onto his bed, leaving his desk chair open for Vincent. The older man settled himself and picked up Ciel's letter opener, bringing it to the envelope and pausing. "You know, we don't have to look at these …" he trailed off teasingly.

Ciel rolled his eyes. "Just open it already!"

Vincent chuckled and cut it open. He extended the open envelope to Ciel, letting him pull out the contents. The young man's eyes flicked rapidly over the greeting and a summary of Challenge terms and rules before reaching the part he cared about.

 

**Current Rankings:**

**1 – H. Greenhill**  
**2 – E. Midford**  
 **3 – G. Violet**  
 **4 – A. Trancy**  
 **5 – D. Arden**

**6 – C. Phantomhive  
7 – L. Hardy**

 

The list went on for a while more but Ciel stopped reading. At his father's prompting, he held out the page to him silently. Vincent hummed thoughtfully. "Not as bad as I was expecting." Ciel gave him a sour look, making his dad explain, "I don't mean it like that. With everything that's been going on, the murders and shunning and illegal attacks, you still managed to rank sixth out of twenty. It would have been completely understandable for you to come in dead last, but you're almost Top Five." Vincent clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Good job, kid. I have no doubt you'll break through next time."

Ciel snorted. "I've beaten Trancy like ten times. If he's top five, there's no way I'll miss it next time."

"That's the spirit!" Vincent ruffled Ciel's hair making the young Were squirm. He tucked the results back into the envelope and paused when he caught sight of the book on Ciel's nightstand. "Hey, I remember I used to read this to you all the time as a kid." He picked it up, examining the black and gold foil stamping on the cover.

"Yeah, it's still my favorite," Ciel admitted.

Vincent smiled wistfully. "You refused to go to sleep until I'd read for at least half an hour. I had to do the voices right, too, or you'd make me start over."

Ciel snorted. "Sounds like something I'd do."

Vincent flipped it open, pausing on the signed title page. His eyes flicked up to the boy on the bed. "Ciel, where did you get this?"

Ciel squirmed. Lying hadn't done him much good so far so he just sighed and said, "Sebastian," fully resigned to the fight he was starting.

Vincent just hummed thoughtfully before leafing through the pages. "Wonder where he got it," he murmured.

Surprised his dad wasn't biting his head off, Ciel offered, "He's probably had it since it came out. He lived in London when Doyle was writing."

His father blinked up at him. "Lived in – Ciel, how old _is_ this man you are dating?"

Ciel threw up a hand. "Your guess is as good as mine. He won't talk about his age."

Vincent returned the book to the nightstand, frowning. "He's too old for you, then."

Ciel stared at him blankly before arching a brow and asking facetiously, "Oh? Do you think he should date someone his own age? I wonder how many people fit into the three-hundred plus category of Tinder."

"I don't care who he dates so long as it isn't my twenty-one year-old son."

Ciel groaned, flopping back onto his bed. "Ugh, not you, too. It's bad enough that Ann hates him for no reason; I thought you were on my side."

"I am on your side," Vincent explained patiently, "but I'm also your father. No one is good enough for you, especially not a dirty old man."

"At least you're consistent," Ciel grumbled, glad his dad wasn't objecting to Sebastian per se, just older men in general.

"Come on runt, I'm going to show these to everyone else. I'm sure they'll want to congratulate you, too." Ciel made a rude noise but followed anyway. He had been initially disappointed but after hearing his dad's thoughts found that he was rather proud of himself. He had suffered through way more shit these last three months than anyone else, sat out probably a good third of the time, and _still_ managed to come in sixth. That was pretty badass. His family seemed to agree. Both sisters gushed over him, petting his head and shoulders and hugging him and doing all kinds of embarrassing things while he squirmed. Grell offered her congratulations on being "First Loser" as she put it, but she seemed genuinely happy for him, so he accepted it gracefully, if a bit stiffly. She was still on his shit list after all.

Everyone's high spirits plummeted when all five of the other elders arrived unexpectedly.

"Oh, no," Rachel gasped, hand to her mouth as Vincent led them in. "Not another one."

Harrison nodded his silver-streaked brown head gravely. "I'm afraid so, ma'am."

"Who?" Vincent asked.

"Maurice Cole."

Ciel's vision blanked white. He didn't realize he'd stopped breathing until Vincent slapped him on the back. He couldn't believe it. Ann had been right all along; Sebastian was the killer. There was no longer any doubt in his mind. Worst of all, Maurice's death was entirely his fault. If he hadn't tossed out Maurice's name, Sebastian wouldn't have killed him. His guts ran cold as he thought about all the time he'd spent laughing at the fact that Sebastian was clearly crazy. It wasn't so funny now.

Wright and some of the others were watching him intently. "Something you want to say, young one?"

Ciel looked at them in stunned silence. Part of him wanted to give them Sebastian's name and be done with it. The other part knew that was a really, really bad idea. Yes, they might take care of the vampire for him, but they would probably brand Ciel as an accomplice and punish him, too. Not to mention what they'd do to his dad for knowing and conveniently never bringing it up. Ciel clenched his jaw and shook his head, tears filling his eyes. "Excuse me," he croaked, lurching out of the room.

"I think that was one of his friends," Vincent offered to smooth away some of their suspicion.

Ciel burst into the first bathroom he passed and dry heaved into the bowl, moaning. _God I'm a pathetic excuse for a werewolf. Squeamish about blood. Squeamish about death._ He wrapped his arms around his knees, sitting on the hard tiled floor. _I have no right to throw myself a pity party. I practically signed Maurice's execution order. How could I have been so STUPID? Ann saw it right off. EVERYONE saw it right off but me._ He buried his face in his knees.

"Ciel," Rachel called softly through the closed door a long time later.

"Leave me alone."

"Are you okay, sweetie?"

"No."

"Can I come in?"

" _No_."

Silence. She must have gone away. Ciel leaned his head back against the wall and stretched out his legs, wincing at how his tight muscles pulled. _I deserve it. I deserve way more._

The bathroom door opened and he whipped his head around to shout, words dying on his tongue when he saw Grell of all people coming in. He looked up at her curiously but she didn't meet his eyes. She closed the door and slid down it to sit on the floor perpendicular to him.

"Are you going to talk or what?" he ground out, staring hard at the wall in front of him.

"Do you want to talk?"

"No."

"Then why ask?"

Ciel grunted, resting back against the wall and staring angrily at the ceiling. "It's my fault," he said suddenly.

"No it's not."

Ciel scowled and turned to look at her. "Yes it _is_. Maurice is dead because of me."

"Maurice Cole was a cowardly little shit who got what he deserved," Grell countered calmly, "but you didn't kill him."

"I as well as did it. If I hadn't told Sebastian his name, Sebastian wouldn't have killed him. It's my fault," he repeated.

"That's not how it works." Grell watched Ciel's jaw tense, clearly disagreeing. They were quiet for a few long minutes. "I killed someone once," Grell shared abruptly, looking down at her hands. Ciel turned and blinked at her in stunned silence. "My best friend agreed to carry a baby for me because I desperately wanted one. Three months in, she changed her mind; she said she met the man of her dreams and didn't want to ruin her chances with him so she aborted it without telling me. I saw red and fucking _lost it_. I beat her head in with a brick and cut her open until I felt better. _That_ was my fault. You didn't kill anyone."

Ciel gaped like a fish, unsure what to say. "I – that's awful." He had thought Grell was uninterested in children; maybe she avoided them to keep from dragging up memories of what she'd done – or the betrayal that made her do it.

Grell laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, it was awful. Earned me quite the nickname, too."

"No, I mean what she did. I'm sorry."

Grell tilted her head, green eyes locked onto him. "No one's ever said that before." She looked down and picked at the cuff of her blouse. "I've actually been where you think you are, kid, so believe me when I tell you, you didn't do it."

Ciel swallowed and took a deep breath, looking a little less tense. Maurice was an asshole, but Ciel hadn't wanted to kill him – _didn't_ kill him. He shouldn't hold himself responsible for Sebastian's actions. It felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders at that thought. "Thanks." He watched Grell chew her lip for a minute before adding, "And sorry for being a dick to you recently. I'm just really sensitive about the whole _cat_ thing."

Grell chuckled. "I noticed. I really wasn't trying to give you a hard time about it, you know; I was just curious."

Ciel nodded. "Yeah. And thanks for this. It helped."

Grell stood, dusting off her pants. "The geezers left a while ago so it's safe to come out. I know where your mom's hiding the good cookies if you want some." Ciel accepted her extended hand and let her pull him up. It looked like everyone knew his sugar weakness. Oh well, if he could stomach cake with Sebastian, cookies with Grell should be no challenge. She really wasn't so bad once you got past her loud voice and over-the-top dramatics.

\---

Despite no longer blaming himself for Maurice's death (or any of the others) Ciel retreated into a deep funk. He slept for the majority of most days, refused to eat, and only went out long enough to fight and come immediately back. He stubbornly tracked down and challenged other initiates whether they wanted it or not, refusing to let Sebastian keep him from making Top Five. Sebastian himself had been blissfully absent, likely fully well aware of Ciel's hatred. He was crazy, not stupid, and Ciel had made it abundantly clear what would happen if Maurice died. Sebastian's abrupt departure all but cemented his guilt in Ciel's mind, as if he needed any further proof.

"It's not healthy!" Ann shouted from downstairs, jolting Ciel out of his thoughts. "That boy is clearly depressed and needs help."

"For Christ's sakes, Ann, just leave the kid alone," Vincent shot back.

Ciel pulled his pillow over his head. Those two had been fighting like cats and dogs for the past few days and he was getting sick of listening to it. The more Ciel wanted to be left alone, the more Ann was convinced he needed "help." He never heard his mother's voice during these little spats (likely because his mother never raised her voice), but he was sure she must be siding with his father, otherwise Ann would have barged in and dragged him off to counseling already. Ciel sighed and flopped onto his back.

"You want me to do something? Fine, I'll do something!" Vincent shouted.

"What are you going to do, Mister Werewolf? Bark at him until he's better?" Ann challenged, making Ciel snicker. If he hadn't known they had been together before, he definitely would have now by the way they needled each other.

"I'm going to tell the elders about Sebastian."

Ciel's eyes popped wide open and he sat up.

"Vincent! No! They'll blame Ciel."

"Not if I explain it …." Ciel frowned as his father's voice grew too quiet for him to hear. They must have stopped yelling. Ciel hopped up and ran to his door, cracking it. "…make them understand." He barely heard Vincent. Scooting out into the hall, he crept toward the stairs on silent sock feet, trying to hear the adults downstairs better.

"Absolutely not," Ann responded firmly.

"Ann," Rachel pleaded. "Be reasonable. It's only a matter of time before that man hurts my baby. We need help."

"Not from _those_ men," Ann sniffed. "They're as likely to kill Ciel as help him, damned pack mentality. I'm surprised they haven't already suggested it."

"Ann!" Rachel gasped.

"We're not _animals,_ Angelina!" Vincent growled, a hint of wolf in his voice. "We would never kill an innocent boy to save our own skins."

" _Innocent_ being the key word. Just how 'innocent' do you think they'll see him after you finish telling them everything, hm? As far as they know, Ciel was in on it all along calling the shots. Just look at his ranking. There's no way he'd be as high as he is without all of those deaths."

Vincent snarled. "Without those deaths he would have been _higher_ ," he argued. "It's all the shit he's had to put up with because of them that has pushed him down."

"Not the point! I'm talking about how _they_ will see it. Once you let this cat out of the bag, it will be out of your hands. You'll be lucky if they don't kill you, too, just for knowing."

Ciel slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from making a noise. Would they kill his dad? He had considered the possibility that Vincent might lose his status or be kicked out, but to _kill_ him? Ciel shook his head. Ann was right. It was too risky to tell the elders. They were psychotic about rules and killing other Weres was absolutely unforgivable.

"Fortunately, this isn't up to you. I would tell them right now if it weren't the full moon. As it is, I'm going to let them cool off for a day before bringing it up."

Ciel blinked. _Full moon?_ He looked at the bright afternoon light. Was today the full moon? Had it really been that long? He hadn't even thought about it. Ciel crept back to his room and checked the date on his phone against his wall calendar. Yeah, it was the 5 th of April already. Damn. Where had last month gone? Now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered his mother mentioning something about a Full Moon party coming up but he had been too busy methodically plotting out his strategies and challenges to care. All his effort these past few weeks had been focused on reaching his goals.

Well, it looked like he was going to take the night off whether he wanted to or not. At least he hadn't gone out and been caught by surprise. Spending the night shivering in an alley as a kitten held no appeal to him whatsoever. Using his last few hours of bipedalism wisely, he went downstairs to fuel up.

"Ciel, we were just talking about you," Vincent said by way of greeting. He and the others were in the small sitting room off the kitchen.

"I heard," Ciel grunted, digging supplies to make a sandwich out of the fridge.

"You – you did?" Vincent asked, surprised. Ciel grunted. "So you understand what I'm doing tomorrow?"

"I understand that you're making a mistake," he said without looking up, "but I know you're going to do it no matter what anyone else says." He slapped some cheese and a fat pile of roast beef on the bread with excess force.

"Ciel!" Rachel gasped. "Your father would never–"

"Never throw both our lives away by blabbing to the council that I've been screwing the killer all along?" he asked pointedly, finally looking up with angry eyes. "I agree with Ann on this one. Even if the council doesn't execute me, the rest of the pack was ready to lynch me with no proof; what do you think they'll do when that fun little fact comes out?"

Rachel gasped, tears in her eyes. Grell frowned. Ann practically glowed. "You see, Vincent? Even Ciel agrees with me."

Vincent scowled at her, brown eyes hard. "I'm not arguing this with you, Ann. It's not up for debate. It's the right thing to do and I'm doing it. The elders aren't fools; they'll listen to reason."

Ciel rolled his eyes and grabbed a can of Coke out of the fridge. He picked up his sandwich and headed back upstairs.

"Where are you going?" someone called after him. He didn't know who and he didn't care.

"I'm enjoying my last night of life alone, thank you," he said over his shoulder, trusting his dad to hear him and pass it along to the others. He had meant it to be flippant but his words felt oddly true as they echoed in his head. He sat his food on his desk and frowned at it. This might be his last meal. A lumpy, sloppy sandwich and little can of soda. How depressing.

He ate with a scowl and silently stared out the window, watching the sun dip down as his pride warred with his practicality. Ciel Phantomhive was not one to take things lying down but the idea of tucking tail and running galled him. Should he stay and face possible death just to preserve his pride or run toward certain life like any sane person would do? He would have to be stupid to stick around and walk straight into a noose – if werewolves used nooses, which they don't. He would likely be torn apart with beaks and claws and teeth: a slow, agonizing death. Ciel grimaced. Yeah, that settled it. He didn't like most of his packmates well enough to care what they thought if he ran and he certainly didn't like them enough to sit still and let them maul him to death. As soon as he was on two legs again, he was leaving.

Ciel tapped his foot impatiently, staring fixedly out the window and willing the moon to rise. _Come on, come on. Let's get this over with already._ After a few seconds, he huffed and put his time to better use. He crawled under his bed to dig out his barely-used duffle bag from high school gym and proceeded to fill it with the things he was going to take. Clothes. Toiletries. Electronics. His hand hesitated over Sebastian's book. _My book_ , he thought fiercely, shoving it into the bag. It doesn't matter where it came from, that book was his now and he wasn't leaving it. _If worst comes to worst I can sell it for cash_ , he told himself, knowing full well he never would. He zipped up the bag and sat it by the windowsill so he could grab it and jump out without fuss.

A pinching started behind his bellybutton. _Finally_. Instead of fighting it, Ciel gave in immediately, shifting smoothly into his cat form voluntarily instead of waiting for it to happen on its own. He'd give it an hour before he started trying to force his way back. Cat or not, he could still think just fine so he used the free time to detail his escape plan.

First stop would be a bank to load up on cash. His father was a co-signer on all his accounts and running wouldn't do him any good if Vincent could clearly see where he was using his cards. Then on to a car dealership to buy a used car to make his getaway. "His" car was technically in his father's name and Vincent could track him down by reporting it stolen and waiting for the police to arrest Ciel. He grimaced. His father wouldn't be the one after him, not really, but Ciel was sure he'd do it for the pack, especially if they petitioned the queen and she made him help. He hated having to think like that about his family but knew he was only being realistic.

Ciel heard a sound and jumped, eyes immediately going to the window. _Fuck, Sebastian_. The vampire had broken in on every other full moon and Ciel kicked himself for forgetting. But as he waited, he realized the noise wasn't coming from the window. He jumped up on the duffle bag and peeked out just to check. Nothing. Strange.

_Sniff. Sniff-sniff._

He smelled his bag and around on the floor. Something was … different. He made his way past his bedroom door and paused, stuffing his nose into the gap. The smell was coming from out there. He took a few deep breaths before he recognized it – fire!

Ciel jerked back automatically, staring at the door in horror. He needed to get out. He reached for the knob automatically, falling laughably short. The window was also closed. A whining _mew_ made its way out of his throat and he was too distraught to care. Ciel pushed as hard as he could to become human again, but he had only just shifted and the moon's pull was too strong for him to fight his way free yet. He ran into the bathroom to check the windows in there despite the fact he had never opened them and they were without a doubt closed and locked as well. He sneezed as the smoky smell got stronger. This was not good at all.

Footsteps in his bedroom made his ears perk up. _Sebastian!_ Ciel didn't care if he was a murdering lunatic so long as the man got him out alive. He immediately ran toward his salvation, skidding to a stop a scant few feet away. _Not Sebastian._ Staring down at him with amused interest was Alois's older, glasses-wearing flunky. Ciel hissed.

"Well, well," the yellow-eyed man purred, chuckling. "I didn't believe Alois when he said you were a cat. How amusing."

 _Let's see how amusing it is when I claw your eyes out_ , Ciel thought fiercely. Stupid Croud had closed the door behind himself, blocking Ciel's exit or he would have simply run, pride be damned. Though it was closed, smoke still billowed under the door and around the jam, turning the room hazy.

"Are you going to be a good little kitten and come along or will I have to get violent?" Ciel bared his teeth, hissing louder. The black-haired man smiled, not put out in the least. "Violent it is, then." Lightning fast, he darted a hand out and caught Ciel around the back of the neck, gripping him tightly by the scruff. Ciel yowled and scratched and bit ineffectively. A few of his swipes landed, but Krood ignored them. "I wanted to put you in a bag and drown you but Alois has other plans. Are you going to behave?"

 _Um, fuck no_ , Ciel thought emphatically, redoubling his efforts.

The other man sighed. "This is getting tiresome." He wrapped his other hand around the front of Ciel's throat, squeezing so hard the kitten saw stars. He weakly fumbled, willing his limbs to respond and tear Krause to pieces. It was no use. Black, blacker, blackest was all he saw as his pulse beat in his head.

\---

A violent slap across his face jerked him back to consciousness. Ciel gasped, eyes popping open. He was in a dim storage shed, flat on a work bench of some kind. Belts and chains of all sorts held tied him down while yards and yards of Saran Wrap wound around him tightly. Gardening and woodworking tools coated most of the pressed-board wall space and made his stomach clench in fear.

"That did it!" the irritatingly lilting voice of Alois Trancy sang from off to one side. He must have been out for a while if Alois was human again, too.

Ciel tilted his head to glare, realizing belatedly that he was once again human. Yay for unhelpfully late gifts. "Wh –" his dry voice cracked. Ciel swallowed, trying again, "What do you want, Trancy?"

The blond threw back his head and laughed. "You're in no position to be asking questions, especially not in that tone."

Ciel scowled. "Fuck you! You burned down my house and had Cloud choke me to death. I can ask whatever I damn well please, you sack of human shit."

Alois's face pinched, turning an unnatural shade of purple. "It's _Claude_ and fuck _you_ , murderer!" He punched Ciel in the side of the head, making him see stars again.

"You and Klause just murdered the district leader, moron. You have no stones to throw."

Alois screamed wordlessly, slamming his fists down repeatedly on Ciel's chest and abdomen. Ciel howled in pain, unable to curl up and defend himself. "Shut up!" he finally snapped, done beating. "You walk around with your nose in the air because your daddy's important; you think you can do anything you want and Vincent will sort it out for you. News flash – that stops now!"

 _What the hell? This stupid little tart has snapped. I don't do that at all!_ Ciel watched Alois like he was a rabid dog as the boy paced and ranted.

"You think you can kill people and get away with it? Ha!"

"What are you talking about –" A flurry of hits landed across his head and shoulders for daring to speak.

"They were my friends!" Alois screamed.

 _Fuck this._ Ciel reached out to touch his animal spirit. He would shrink down and get out of these bindings and escape from there.

Cross cleared his throat and Alois popped Ciel square in the nose, stunning him. "If you turn into that stupid fucking cat you'll asphyxiate under the plastic – if I don't stab you to death first." Ciel blinked at him silently, face perfectly neutral. Alois smirked, pleased. "Good. Keep behaving and you might just live a little longer."

Ciel was now thoroughly confused. Why was he here? Alois clearly didn't want information; he was already convinced Ciel was guilty. He was bound helplessly to a table in the middle of a shed, unable to wiggle, much less fight back, and for some reason he was still alive and (relatively) unharmed. He took an odd sort of comfort in the thought that he would have more parts exposed if Alois planned to torture him, but was absolutely boggled as to what the blond wanted. Unable to speak without risking another beating, he kept his mouth clamped firmly shut and waited.

"I didn't realize what was going on until I saw her a few weeks ago." Alois paced circles around the table, one hand tucked behind his back, the other gesturing as he spoke as if delivering lines from a play. "The way she threw Clayton around should have tipped me off earlier but I thought it was just a lucky hit. It wasn't until she showed her teeth last time that I knew for sure how you'd done it." Ciel blinked at him stupidly. _Is he talking about Ann?_ Seeing Ciel's face, Alois laughed. "Yeah, I figured it out, smart guy. You've been using that redheaded vampire woman to do your dirty work while leading the council on a wild goose chase."

Ciel's mouth fell open. Alois thought he was using Ann to murder the others? That was insane.

"You're pretty smart, even if you are a murdering sack of shit," Alois commented. "No one would suspect a Were of working with an outsider, especially not a _female_ outsider. I bet they never even saw it coming."

"That's not true! Ann would never –"

"Ew!" Alois shrieked. "Don't give it a name. I don't want to know anything about her. She burned to death in that fire before Claude even got there and it was more than she deserved!"

There was a sudden _pop_ and Ciel felt agonizing heat in his side. He looked down to find a small hole through the plastic, rapidly leaking blood. Krood held a bloody icepick in his hand, grinning madly.

"Claude," Alois whined. He sighed and threw up a hand, glaring down at Ciel. "Look what you started. I wanted to talk a little longer and make sure you knew exactly how much I hate you before you die, but you've gone and riled him up. Great going, Faggothive." Exasperated, Alois dug around behind him for another icepick. "Now I won't even get to enjoy this." He slammed it down into Ciel's thigh to produce a loud scream. Chuckling darkly, Claude followed suit.

It _hurt_. God did it hurt. Ciel was blinded by pain; none of his senses were working except for touch, which was going into overdrive with all the stimulus it was being subjected to. The two psychos avoided his neck and center chest, but everything else was fair game. Ciel couldn't hear anything and didn't know whether he was still screaming or his voice had given out.

Finally the sound of fingers snapping caught his attention, pulling him out of the blissful stupor he'd fallen into. The stabbing had stopped some time ago, he noted vaguely, but the pain remained.

"Fucking finally. I think you passed out there for a minute and would hate for you to miss the finale."

 _Wha …_ Ciel couldn't even form a coherent thought, much less ask aloud. He just blinked tiredly, making Alois laugh.

"Not so tough without your pet vampire, are you?" he asked maliciously. He reached into the back waistband of his pants and pulled out a familiar star-bladed dagger. Ciel blinked at it, fuzzily wondering where he knew it from. The black and silver weapon gleamed beautifully even in the low light of the shed. "Wondering how I got it? The elders gave it to my father to hold. They were right not to trust your evil family with it and now I get to use it to enact justice on their behalf. Not that those stupid old goats would ever have the guts to do what needs to be done. They should thank me for doing it, though. What do you think, Claude? Will I get a medal?"

Ciel felt too dizzy to concentrate. He was simultaneously hot and cold, barely hanging onto consciousness. The room felt like a cradle, rocking him to sleep.

" _Look_ at me when I'm killing you, freak!" Alois shouted, clamping a hand onto Ciel's forehead to keep it from lolling. He blinked unseeingly up at Alois. Everything was so streaky and he couldn't focus. "Let's see how this thing works on werewolves." The blade whistled down, impacting with a meaty _thunk_ and making Ciel's vision go black.

And then it wasn't.

Ciel blinked. Everything was … coming back into focus. He thought surely he must be going into shock, because the pain was receding. The Were took a deep breath, surprised to find his punctured lungs once again working. He was still in the wooden shed, still tied down, but Alois and his flunky were gone. Hands tugged at his bindings and Ciel looked down see Sebastian peeling off the layers of bloody plastic and ripping apart the belts and chains.

"S-s-seba–" Ciel croaked.

"Sh, sh, sh," the vampire tutted. "I got you." He gently lifted the Were and carried him out into the dim early morning, cradling the injured young man against his chest.

Ciel swallowed, looking around. "My house," he moaned, looking at the column of smoke rising in the distance, barely visible against the faint light of dawn.

Sebastian pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I know. I saw." He turned and started walking in the opposite direction, pausing to pick up a bag on the way. Ciel blinked stupidly down at it.

"My bag."

Sebastian nodded. "I found it in your room."

"Is my family –?" A tiny flame of hope spurted in Ciel's chest at the thought of Sebastian running into his burning house.

"I'm sorry, there was no one alive inside when I got there." The flame was immediately snuffed out.

"Oh." Ciel buried his nose in Sebastian's neck, too tired and numb to think. The rocking motion of Sebastian's stride was comforting and he relaxed into it. No house, no family. Everything was already gone and he hadn't even run away yet.


	9. Chapter 9

Ciel looked up when Sebastian came to a stop. He easily unlocked and opened a door despite holding both Ciel and a large bag in his arms. "Where are we?"

"My home." Sebastian walked them over the threshold and pushed the door shut with one foot. "Is that okay?"

Ciel half-laughed, half-cried, choking out a weak, "Not like I have much choice at the moment."

Sebastian hummed, holding him tighter. "Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?" Ciel sighed, too tired to respond. If he hadn't died yet, he probably wasn't going to so he might as well be clean. Sebastian carried him down a hallway and into a bathroom, perching Ciel on the counter next to the sink so he could toggle the taps of a giant claw foot tub. Ciel leaned in the corner and frowned at the thought of marinating in his sooty, grimy filth. It would be awful for his open wounds. Werewolves healed quickly, but that didn't mean they weren't vulnerable to infections and diseases.

"Hey," he whispered. Sebastian's head snapped up immediately to see what he needed. "I'm not getting in there until you wipe all this shit off of me. I don't want to get sick."

Sebastian's brows pinched and he looked like he was debating something. "I don't think that will be a problem," he finally stated, turning back to the tub to add some scented salts and soaps.

"What do you mean?" The vampire stared at the running water like it was the most interesting thing in the world. "Sebastian, what does that mean?"

Grimacing, Sebastian turned around and silently reached under the sink, pulling out a clean white washcloth. He turned on the sink near Ciel's hip and wet it, pushing up Ciel's sleeve to run it over his dirty, bloody skin. Ciel watched with wide eyes as white, unbroken flesh was revealed. He ripped off his shirt and stared at the bloody pock marks all over his chest. Uncaring of manners, he snatched the cloth out of Sebastian's hand and scrubbed it across his skin, gasping when he found himself unharmed. Ciel reeled back from Sebastian like the man was the devil himself. "What the hell is going on!" he shouted, dropping the cloth to the tiled floor with a wet _plop_.

Sebastian held up both hands placatingly. "Everything's okay."

"I'd say! What the fuck did you _do_ to me?" Ciel asked with budding horror. Had Sebastian … _changed_ him? _Oh no. Oh-no-ohnoohno!_ He screamed in his head, clapping his hands to his mouth to keep from babbling aloud.

"Ciel, calm down."

Ciel whipped around to stare into the mirror he was leaning against, looking for any sign of glowing red eyes or long teeth. He jabbed is thumbs into his canines hard, trying to provoke them into descending.

" _Stop_ that," Sebastian commanded, grabbing his wrists to pull his hands away and turning the smaller man around to face him.

Ciel relaxed a little, feeling relived and stupid when nothing had happened. He wasn't a vampire. He could almost laugh at his own paranoia.

Seeing the young one was slightly less frantic, Sebastian released him and turned back around to shut the tub off. "It'll take a few more hours for those to show up," he noted absently.

 _Excuse me!?_ Ciel stared at Sebastian with renewed horror. "What did you just say?" he asked, really hoping he had misunderstood. From Sebastian's pained expression and reluctantly slow response, Ciel knew he hadn't.

The vampire licked his lips nervously. Giving Ciel his full attention, he explained, "That blond boy–"

"Alois," Ciel interjected.

"Alois," Sebastian repeated calmly. "He and his accomplice killed you." Ciel stared at him uncomprehendingly. He reached up a hand to feel his own face, then pressed it to his chest. His skin was warm and his heart was beating. What the hell did Sebastian mean Alois had killed him? Sebastian caught both of Ciel's hands in his own, stroking them gently with his thumbs as he said, "I arrived right when he was plunging that dagger into your head. I reached out a hand to block it, but it tore straight through me like nothing else ever has." He looked down and Ciel followed his gaze, gasping when he noticed the angry red star on the back of Sebastian's left hand.

"Your hand," he murmured, running a finger over it. Sebastian hissed and pulled back. "Sorry."

The vampire shook his head. "I don't understand it. This should have healed by now." He flipped it over to show the same star on his palm. The blade must have run all the way through.

 _It's not a gaping hole, though, so it must be healing_ , Ciel thought. "It's magic," he breathed without meaning to. Sebastian looked up with curious red eyes. "The black dagger Alois stabbed you with, it's a vampire-killing blade from the Green Witch." Ciel stared back at him with equal curiosity. "You don't look dead, though," he noted frowning. "Why didn't it –" his blue eyes widened as he remembered Ms. Sullivan insultingly repeating the instructions over and over: _A fatal blow. Brain or heart. And do leave it in long enough for the magic to work._ He chuckled at himself. She was right to treat them like they were stupid.

"I fail to see what could possibly be funny right now," Sebastian pouted, prodding his tender wound.

Ciel held up a finger, thinking. He tried to replay everything the witch had said, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything else. "It kills vampires by draining the magic that keeps them alive."

"That doesn't merit laughter," Sebastian grumbled, clearly sour about his impending doom.

"Hush. You'll be fine. It only works if it's a kill shot, head or heart, and it has to be left in 'long enough,' whatever that means. What I want to know is why I'm okay. She didn't say anything about it having healing properties." Ciel smiled at the idea of visiting the funny little witch to chat about her dagger.

Sebastian looked at him sadly, running a hand over his dirty gray hair. "I'm sorry, love, but the dagger didn't save you." Ciel rested his eyes on Sebastian's serious expression, smile fading. "The last blow went straight through my hand and killed you. The blood from my wound contaminated you, kept you from dying fully. Right now it's repairing you; soon it will transition you fully."

"Into what?" Ciel asked stubbornly, dragging his heels against the truth.

Sebastian sighed. "You know what." Ciel shook his head, grinding his palms into his eyes to keep from crying. "Shh, it's okay." Sebastian wrapped his long arms around the distraught Were. _Soon to be ex-Were_ , he mused, idly wondering if Ciel would still be able to transform as a vampire. He shook himself minutely. As intriguing as the thought was, now was not the time to entertain it. Ciel clung to him, crying openly. Sebastian rocked back and forth, murmuring soothing nonsense until the sobs died down. He finally pulled back and ran his thumbs under wet lashes. "There, see? It's alright. You've just had a tough day." Ciel sobbed a laugh. "Let's get you cleaned off, hm?" Ciel nodded and allowed him to pull off the rest of his clothes. The Were walked to the tub on shaky legs, half-climbing, half-falling in. Clouds of dirt and blood puffed up as his skin hit the water, swirling around him like a storm.

Sebastian watched him in silence. After a few minutes of stillness, he asked, "Would you like some help?" Ciel looked up at him blankly. It wasn't a no, though, so Sebastian grabbed a fresh washcloth and a bar of soap. The Were boy had had an absolutely horrific day and would probably sit there like a statue all night if Sebastian didn't keep a close eye on him. He carefully washed the pale chest, restoring it to a pristine state before moving on to the back and doing each arm and leg in turn. He handed the cloth to Ciel to allow him the dignity of doing his own privates as Sebastian selected a shampoo and lathered his hair.

Ciel felt thin and empty, like a corn husk. Everything had been scooped out of him at once: his plans and hopes and worries were all gone. His dad wouldn't tell the council of elders about Sebastian because his dad was dead. His mom wouldn't worry about his fights anymore because his mom was dead. His Aunt wouldn't tease and spoil him because she was dead. Grell wouldn't shout ridiculous things. Maurice, Cheslock, Clayton, Laurence – all dead. If he wanted to get technical about it, he was dead himself, too.

Ciel rested his head on his bent knees. He was too cried-out for any more tears to fall but he still felt miserable.

Sebastian lifted him under the arms, pulling him into a standing position. "There we go. Let's dry off and get you to bed, hm? Sleep will do you good." Sebastian toweled off Ciel's upper half before helping him climb out and getting his legs, too. He wrapped the oversized towel around Ciel's chest and the Were held it automatically. "I put your bag in the guest room across the hall." He herded the strangely pliant little man into the bedroom and trusted Ciel could take it from there. "I'll leave you alone to get settled. If you need me, I'm at the end of the hall."

That got a response. Ciel's eyes snapped up to stare at him for the first time since he broke down. "You're not going to stay with me?"

Sebastian's brows rose at the unexpected request. He was used to Ciel fighting tooth and nail to push him away. All it took was one look at that small, lost face and he couldn't have stayed away if he wanted to. "Of course I will."

Ciel nodded, shoulders relaxing. He pulled on a pair of underwear and tossed his bag into a corner before crawling under the covers and waiting for Sebastian to join him. He wedged himself tightly against Sebastian's side as soon as the larger man laid down, face burning in shame at his own neediness. The vampire said nothing, just held him and stroked a hand over his damp hair soothingly. Ciel breathed heavily, trying to calm down so he could sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he felt like he was back in that shed, stretched out and tied down, completely at Alois's mercy. He tried to tuck his legs up to his chest, but it was awkward with the way he was pressed against Sebastian. He definitely didn't want to move away, though. With a frustrated grunt, he shifted into his cat form and curled into a tight ball on Sebastian's chest. The surprised vampire automatically raised both hands to hold him. Much better. Face safely hidden, limbs tucked in, cocooned entirely in the scent of his savior, Ciel was finally able to get some rest.

\---

Ciel awoke disoriented. For one thing, he was in the wrong form. He felt the difference as soon as he started moving. For another, he almost fell off his narrow perch when he stretched. Squeaking in surprise, he dug his claws in and scrambled not to fall. Large hands caught him and pulled him up to a broad chest, rumbling with laughter. "Careful, now," Sebastian chided, petting his head.

Ciel looked around to see a home office of some kind. Sebastian was seated in front of a desktop computer and had clearly dragged Ciel out here to act as a lap warmer. Being treated like a pet made him bristle. The little Were growled and shifted immediately back to human form, almost toppling the desk chair with his sudden, unbalanced weight. He hopped off gracefully and shoved Sebastian in the chest, hard, rocking the chair back. "I'm not a toy!"

Blood-red eyes stared at him in shock for a moment before Sebastian stood as well. "Of course you're not. I just didn't want to leave you alone after you asked me to stay."

Ciel blinked up at him, anger fading as his sleep-muddled brain slowly made sense of what the vampire had said. "Oh." That made sense, he guessed. "Sorry," he muttered much more softly, looking down and wrapping his arms around his nearly naked body. "Which way is my room?"

"Follow me." Sebastian led him out of the office, through a living room and down the hall he remembered from last night. Now that he wasn't exhausted and half-exsanguinated, Ciel actually paid attention to his surroundings, noting the wooden craftsman interior with interest. Everything was some warm shade of brown or orange and it seemed cozy. "Can I get you anything?" the older man asked as Ciel dug through his bag for clothes. Ciel tugged on the first things his hands hit, not caring if they matched, before answering.

"I'm a little hungry," he admitted, feeling irrationally guilty as if it was wrong to eat while his family was dead.

"I think I can fix that," Sebastian responded.

Five minutes later, Ciel was not feeling guilty at all – just disgusted. "I am _not_ eating that," he stated with an air of finality, folding his arms and glaring at the glass pen in Sebastian's basement. "Why do you even have it?"

"Mister Hopscotch is here in case of emergencies."

"Hop … scotch." Ciel stared at him as if he were even crazier than usual. "Why the hell do you have an 'emergency' rabbit and what does he do?"

"He gets eaten," Sebastian said bluntly. "Surely you know that vampires need to drink blood to survive? That is what we're known for, yes?"

"That still doesn't tell me why you have a _rabbit_ ," Ciel shot back. "Don't tell me you're on the vampire equivalent of a vegetarian diet?"

Sebastian threw back his head, laughing heartily. "God no. Like I said, that bunny is for emergencies only. We can go hunt down a human for you if you'd like, but I thought it would be easier for you to start on a rabbit."

Ciel's blue eyes flicked back and forth between the rabbit and the vampire. "Can't I just have a blood bag or something?"

Sebastian chuckled. "You're too cute. You don't know how this works at all, do you?"

The little Were scowled. "Only because you haven't bothered to tell me properly. And forget about blood, do you have any _real_ food in this house?"

Sebastian nodded and led him back upstairs to the bright, sunny kitchen where three cats roamed lazily around. Ciel leaned against the central island and stared at the cheery yellow walls and warm wood trim as Sebastian dug in the fridge, trying to reconcile this incredibly normal room with his mental image of the dark cave he had expected Sebastian to live in. It did not compute. The vampire turned back around with a block of cheese. "How about some cheddar? I don't know how much good human food will do you right now, but if this helps I can make you something more substantial later."

Ciel nodded, really hoping he wouldn't have to go back downstairs and eat Mr. Hopscotch. "Why do you even have all that food if you can't eat it?"

Sebastian cut off a cube and flicked it into his mouth, chewing slowly and swallowing. "I can it eat, it just does nothing for me. And I keep this mostly for guests."

Ciel quirked a brow at that, wondering precisely how many guests (and what type) the vampire needed to keep a fully stocked fridge for. He decided he didn't want to know. "So explain about the blood thing."

Sebastian nodded as he chopped. "Why do you think vampires need blood?"

Ciel stared at him blankly. "It keeps you alive somehow?"

"Yes," Sebastian drawled, "but specifically how does it do that?"

Ciel looked around the room for inspiration before throwing up a hand in frustration. "I don't know. I thought you were supposed to be telling me?"

Sebastian smiled and pushed the small cutting board full of cheese across the island. "Well, how does your dagger work?"

Ciel huffed and ate a cube before reciting, "It sucks the magic out of you."

"Precisely. Now, why would that kill a vampire?"

"Because otherwise you would heal?" Ciel guessed, face scrunching up. He hated not knowing things.

"Right. Vampires are fully magical creatures. It animates us, heals us, gives us energy, enhances our strength and speed and senses. Without magic, we'd just be rotting corpses."

Ciel nodded along. It made sense. Werewolves were slightly magical too, what with their transformations and disappearing clothes, but by and large Weres were biological. Except for that little transformation bit in the middle, they were just slightly hardier humans and slightly smarter animals. They ate, aged, reproduced, and died naturally. From what Sebastian said, vampires did none of that because they ran almost entirely on magic. "So … why do you need blood, then?"

Sebastian smiled, pleased Ciel was still following along. "Do you remember last month when you asked why I didn't drink that blood off the counter of the bakery?"

Ciel nodded. "Yeah, you said it was cold."

"I wasn't just talking about temperature," Sebastian said vaguely, staring at him as if waiting for some grand leap of intuition to occur.

Ciel scowled at the creature's vagueness, grinding cheese between his teeth. "You do remember how I _died_ yesterday, right? Why don't you cut me some slack here and just spit it out without playing Twenty Freaking Questions?"

Sebastian looked vaguely guilty. "We don't need the blood itself; we need the _anima_ , the magical life force carried in the blood."

"Bullshit."

Sebastian lifted a brow and stole one of Ciel's cubes, leaning his own elbows on the island to put their faces closer together. "Is not."

"How come no one's ever told me that before? I think if blood had a 'magical life force' everyone would know about it."

"There are plenty of people who know about it, it was just of no interest to you before. Why should werewolves care about things that don't affect them?" Ciel pursed his lips, unconvinced. "Look at it this way," Sebastian offered, "You've heard of auras, right? The way people's life forces radiate out around them and can be seen by witches?" Ciel nodded. "It's like that, only inside. Vampires need to take a little bit of that magical life force to keep us running because we don't have any of our own."

Ciel hummed, still skeptical but not wanting to fight about it. It sounded too New Age Mumbo Jumbo to him. "And the reason I can't have a blood bag?"

"There's no _anima_. It's too far removed from its source to do you any good." Ciel silently eyed him and Sebastian threw up a hand, standing upright. "By all means, feel free to try it yourself and find out. I've only been doing this for a couple centuries; what could I possibly know about it?" He turned to put the uncut remainder of the cheese block back into the fridge, pulling out a handful of carrots. "If you're not going to eat Hopscotch, I should probably feed him."

"I'm fine, thanks. The cheese did the trick."

Sebastian examined him critically before shrugging. The Were was either being stubborn or transitioning slowly; only time would tell. "Very well. What would you like to do today?"

Ciel was floored by the difficulty of that simple question. Do today? He had expected to be fleeing across the country. Barring that, he would have continued participating in the Challenge – but he wasn't a werewolf anymore, was he? He really should go do something about his burned-down house … or should he? Ciel began pacing as thoughts raced through his head. His old life was over. He had no house to go back to, no family to return to, and no werewolf duties to fulfill. He was utterly adrift in the world. Who was Ciel Phantomhive now without all the things that made him Ciel Phantomhive?

The basement door clicked closed and Ciel realized Sebastian had already gone down and come back without him noticing. "I think you need to rest."

It was better than any of his non-ideas, so Ciel nodded and followed Sebastian into a comfortable den. The vampire set him up on a plush leather sofa and handed him a fancy remote for all the electronic junk on the opposite wall. Ciel took it with mumbled thanks, not really intending to make use of it. He needed to think. As soon as the vampire left the room, he jumped up and resumed pacing.

His entire life had been devoted to becoming his father's successor, a goal which was clearly off the table now. There's no way a vampire would be allowed to participate in the pack, much less lead it – especially not with all the vampire-related deaths recently. It wouldn't surprise him if everyone jumped to the conclusion he'd been the vampire they were looking for all along. It was pure bollocks, of course; the true murderer was lurking just down the hall, doing whatever vampires do when they're not out eating people. Ciel cast a dirty look down the empty hall. This was all Sebastian's fault. If that insane, clingy creature hadn't latched onto him, none of this would have happened. His pack wouldn't hate him. His family wouldn't be dead. He wouldn't be a vampire. The Were snarled, angry that Sebastian had ended up getting what he wanted all along: Ciel to himself.

He had the sudden, illogical desire to enact his running-away plan just to spite Sebastian. The man may have robbed him of his former life but Ciel would be damned if he'd let the bastard get what he wanted. If he had any say in it, they'd both be miserable.

Twenty seconds of logical thought shot that idea down, though. Ciel knew absolutely nothing about being a vampire. Hell, he didn't even _know_ what he didn't know. It would be stupid for him to wander off before he mastered the most basic functions of taking care of his new body. If Sebastian hadn't taken the time to tell him about the blood thing, he probably would have starved to death. For that matter, he wouldn't have even known he was a vampire at all until his packmates figured it out and murdered him. Again.

Ciel rolled his eyes. Honestly, this whole situation was turning into a Ferris wheel of 'Who to Hate the Most.'

By the time an hour had passed, Ciel had come to a decision: The past was gone and would never return. He had to move forward. Sitting around moping about what had happened would accomplish nothing, so he chose to embrace it. If he had to be a vampire, he'd be the best damn vampire the world had ever seen. Nodding to himself, he marched immediately into Sebastian's office and demanded, "Teach me."

The vampire raised his brows, looking up from his computer. "You are supposed to be resting."

"I don't want to rest. It's your fault I'm like this so you're going to help me work all this vampire stuff out."

"Ciel, I never intended for any of this to happen –" he started.

"I don't care. What happened, happened and now we need to deal with it." The blue-eyed man sat in the open chair across the desk and crossed his legs. "You already explained about blood, so what else do I need to know?"

Sebastian leaned back, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair and folding his hands across his stomach. "Well, to start with, your body is changing. Step one was healing your wounds. Soon you'll lose your appetite for food and your eyes will become extremely sensitive to light." He glanced around the bright office and stared hard into Ciel's eyes, looking for any trace of discomfort. "You don't seem to be bothered by it at all right now, though, which is odd but I've never seen a werewolf transition before so this is all new territory for me."

Ciel's cheek twitched with the automatic urge to point out he wasn't a _wolf_ , but he held back when he realized how pointless it would be. Soon he wouldn't be a were-anything. "Okay, bloodlust and photosensitivity. Next?"

"There is no 'next.' That's all there is to it. Your body heals and transitions to run fully on magic, the end. Your senses will be a little sharper and your muscles stronger, which might take some getting used to, but nothing _drastic_ is going to happen to you."

"You mean aside from the fangs and glowing eyes and ability to suddenly disappear?"

Sebastian laughed. "It's not disappearing, just moving quickly. And I don't consider the eyes and teeth to be drastic at all, especially not in your case, you bitey little thing."

Ciel bared said kitty-fangs at him, making full use of them before he lost them for good. "When am I going to see all these changes, anyway?"

Sebastian scooted forward and leaned on his desk. "It should already be happening. Most transformations I've witnessed take a few hours, one day at the most. You, however, seem to be a special case."

"Joy."

"It is certainly interesting," Sebastian noted, barely containing his enthusiasm.

Ciel gave him a dark look. "Don't tell me you changed me as some sick science experiment."

"Of course not!" Sebastian said, jerking back, amusement wiped off his face. "Ciel, I never intended to change you at all. It just sort of … happened." Ciel snorted and looked away, clearly displeased. Sebastian didn't really blame him. Trying to keep upbeat about it, he said, "Anyway, I can't help you adjust until you start to change, so we'll just have to wait it out."

"Great," Ciel grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Why are you doing this, anyway? Why bother to help me at all?"

"I like you. And as you pointed out, this situation is sort of my fault. It would be negligent of me to just abandon you."

"Damn right," Ciel muttered, slouching down in his seat. "I don't understand why this is what finally made you grow a conscience, though." At Sebastian's confused looked, Ciel barked a laugh. "Please. You've been stalking me for months. You killed my packmates, got me murdered, and turned me into a vampire. You've finally reached your goal of having me all to yourself. Congratulations. Be as nice as you want now, it still won't make me like you."

Sebastian stared at him with his mouth hanging open. Was this the same scared, clingy young man from last night who begged him not to leave? "Ciel," he said softly, stunned. "We've been over this; I didn't kill your packmates. The only ones I killed were Alois and his minion from last night after I watched them murder you in front of my eyes."

Ciel flinched. He hadn't known Alois and Claude were dead, though he wasn't truly surprised. "If you're so innocent, why did you hide after Maurice died?"

"Because I knew you'd blame me."

Ciel sighed, looking at the ceiling. "I don't care."

"I didn't do it."

"I don't _care_."

"You do care or you wouldn't have asked."

"What I'm saying is that it doesn't matter." Ciel finally looked back down, sapphire eyes boring into Sebastian's garnet. "That's all in the past and nothing we can do now will change it. I want to move on."

"If that's what you want, I won't mention it again," Sebastian agreed. Ciel nodded. "Since you refuse to rest, what would you like to do?"

"Well, seeing as I won't see the sun again for a while, I want to go outside. You have a porch or patio or anything here?"

"I do."

"Cool. And since I still need real food for now, how about you get working on that 'substantial' meal you promised?"

Sebastian smirked at how the bossy little thing was ordering him around. It was a far cry from the carefully polite tiptoeing most people did around vampires. "Your wish is my command. I think we can take care of both at once; come with me."

Ciel followed the taller man back through the den and kitchen. On the far side of the dinette area was a door leading out to a covered patio. Sebastian made quick work of uncovering his patio furniture and setting up a gas grill. Ciel watched with interest but said nothing. When Sebastian ducked back inside, he dragged one of the chairs out into direct sunlight and laid back, letting it warm him. It was weak April sunlight, barely warm at all, but Ciel didn't care. This was the last he would see of it for a while and he was determined to enjoy it. He stared up at the blue, blue sky and let his eyes drift down to where sunlight shone on the trees in the distance. He'd never been much of an outdoorsman (if anything, he was an antisocial shut-in who rarely left home) but he had to admit it was so beautiful he almost regretted all that time he'd spent inside.

A metallic creak sounded behind him and he peered over his shoulder to watch Sebastian lay steaks on the grill. "Grilling out this early in spring? It's still cold."

Sebastian quirked a lip as he closed the cover. "Says the young man attempting to sun himself." Ciel hummed and turned back around, reclining against the chair and closing his eyes. "How do you like your steak?"

"Not bleeding."

There was a scrape as Sebastian dragged another chair next to him. Ciel didn't bother opening his eyes. "It's not forever, you know; just until you adjust. You'll be sunning yourself as much as you want soon with no risk of sunburn." Ciel relaxed slightly. "And you won't have to breathe. You could swim for hours without coming up. Wouldn't that make for a fun beach trip?" Ciel smiled with his eyes still closed, chuckling a little as he imagined snorkeling on some tropical island without a snorkel.

Sebastian really was trying to make him feel better and Ciel appreciated it in spite of himself. He had said he wanted to put the past behind him and move forward, hadn't he? Sebastian was shady as hell, but he seemed to genuinely trying to help now so Ciel decided to accept it. He could always kill the crazy bastard later. Opening his eyes, Ciel looked over. "Thanks."

Sebastian paused, sparing a moment to memorize how that brilliant blue color shone in the sunlight. Its transition into plain vampire red would be a crime. "Don't mention it. Maybe we can go some time after you've acclimated."

Ciel hummed and looked away, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Sebastian got up to flip the steaks. He retreated inside for a bit before coming back out to announce, "Food's ready. Would you like to eat out here?"

Ciel shook his head. "Nah, it's still a little cold for that." He pulled his chair back under the covered area where he found it and followed Sebastian inside to find a nicely set table complete with candles and wine. "Attempting a seduction, are we?" he asked archly.

"Not at all, but I certainly wouldn't object if that's the end result," the vampire said with a grin.

Ciel rolled his eyes and picked a seat. He dug in immediately, not waiting for his companion. After sampling everything, he looked up skeptically. "For someone who doesn't need to eat, you cook surprisingly well."

Sebastian's eyes rounded into happy crescents as he smiled. "Thank you. Just because I don't _need_ to eat, doesn't mean I don't do it. Besides, cooking classes were all the rage ten years ago."

Ciel snorted at the mental image of Sebastian in a frilly apron, surrounded by housewives and covered in flour. "Seriously?"

"Give it a few decades. You'll do anything to stave off boredom."

Ciel regarded the black-haired man intently as he ate. "So all the crazy shit I've seen you do was because you're … bored?"

"I wouldn't consider any of that _crazy_ , but yes."

Almost dreading the answer, he had to ask, "If that wasn't crazy, what was?" Sebastian looked thoughtful for a moment before pulling a face and looking away. Ciel's eyebrows rose. "With a reaction like that, I've got to know."

Sebastian sighed and rubbed a hand over his face before saying, "Just so you know, it wasn't my idea."

Ciel grinned. "This sounds promising."

The vampire was reluctant to share, but Ciel was willingly talking to him for the moment and he wanted to keep it going. "I may have dropped acid, climbed a volcano, and petted the lava thinking it was a cat."

Ciel gaped at him. "But you're," he gestured vaguely at Sebastian's hands on the table, "okay?"

Sebastian wiggled his fingers. "Vampire. Needless to say, I was glad when the sixties ended. Disco was much more fun."

Images of Sebastian doing the Hustle in a white leisure suit assaulted his brain, making Ciel feel like something broke inside. He waved a hand. "Let's not go there."

The vampire chuckled. "Fine by me. Would you –" he was cut off by soft lips pressing against his own. He groaned, immediately melting into it. He wrapped his arms around the smaller body, pulling it flush to his own. Ciel tangled his fingers into Sebastian's inky hair and ground their hips together. "Ciel, are you sure –?"

"Shut it," the Were commanded against his mouth, food forgotten. "This is my last night alive and we're going to spend it however I want."

Sebastian knew he should argue about delicate mental states and transition confusion but Ciel smelled so _good_ and he simply didn't want to. This was officially reason 96422 he was going to hell. He hitched the smaller man up under his thighs and carried him to the master bedroom, tongues dancing the entire way. Ciel did not make it an easy journey, moaning and rutting and writhing and otherwise driving the vampire up the wall with desire. He tossed the horny little thing onto the bed and watched him bounce, attempting to regain a shred of control before he snapped and finished things before they could even get started.

"Sebastian," Ciel pouted, tugging off his clothes.

The older man kept his eyes pointedly away as he attempted to slow his breathing.

"Sebastian," Ciel called again, slower.

The vampire swallowed, focusing intently on slowly retrieving a bottle of lube as he calmed down. He almost felt like he could trust himself again when he heard Ciel practically _purr_ his name. All bets were off when he turned to find Ciel completely nude and partially transformed, slate blue ears atop his head and long gray tail twitching behind him. The vampire pounced in the blink of an eye, knocking Ciel flat on his back. He immediately buried his face in the cat-boy's hair to run his lips over one silky ear while he fondled the other with his fingertips. His right hand reached down to stoke the flailing tail.

Ciel laughed. "I knew it – you have a thing for cats!" Sebastian hummed, biting down delicately on an ear to make him shiver. "H-hey! Watch it, that's sens _itive_!" He trailed off into a loud moan as a large hand squeezed his tail. His first instinct was to revert to fully human, but he resisted. This was the first, last, and only time he'd ever be able to do this so he decided to enjoy it. Besides, it seemed to be driving Sebastian wild.

The vampire slid down, kissing Ciel's face and neck, burying his nose in the smaller man's shoulder to breathe deeply of his feline scent, and licking his way down to nip delicately at a pink nipple. He pinched the opposing bud and rolled it between his fingers to make Ciel cry out. His right hand held firmly onto the tail as if afraid it would vanish at any moment. "So lovely," Sebastian sighed happily, looking up at the twitching cat ears again.

Ciel smirked. Sebastian _really_ seemed to like cats. "Meow," he said softly, just to watch the vampire lose his shit. Ciel was not disappointed. The man let out a guttural sound and instantly flipped him over, stuffing his face into the base of Ciel's tail and lapping at his puckered hole. Ciel choked out a gasp. "Don't! That's disgust– _oh!_ " He wiggled so much that Sebastian had to hold his hips still. Ciel was torn between pulling away and pushing back against the long tongue working its way through the tight ring of muscles and into his sensitive inner walls. It was so filthy and amazing. He was sure he was letting out inhuman noises but couldn't bring himself to care, especially not when Sebastian ran a finger down his scrotum from behind and fondled his throbbing cock. Ciel threw back his head and cried out, tail flopping madly.

Sebastian withdrew his tongue and replaced it with two oil-slicked fingers, smiling when Ciel's tail wrapped around his wrist in encouragement. He leaned down to place gentle kisses up the Were's spine. "Do you like that, kitten?"

"Told you. Not to. Call me that," Ciel panted, grinding back against Sebastian's hand and keening when he hit just the right spot. He shivered with anticipation as the dripping head of Sebastian's arousal brushed his inner thigh.

"Do you want me to stop?" the larger man asked playfully, dusting kisses across his shoulders and nipping at the back of his neck as his hands worked.

"Don't you dare," Ciel breathed, squeezing his eyes closed so tightly tears seeped out. Between one breath and the next, Sebastian was below him, hands resting on Ciel's thighs, tip of his oiled cock brushing against Ciel's stretched entrance.

"Please," the vampire breathed. He rolled his hips, teasing them both by slipping across Ciel's ass without going in.

With a wanton groan, Ciel reached down and held the thick shaft steady so he could sink onto it, letting the broad head stretch him open wide. He panted and moaned as he filled himself with Sebastian. The foreplay had left him so sensitive that he swore he could feel it drooling inside him as he forced himself all the way down. "Oh, god," he moaned, rising back up to impale himself again. He rocked slowly, savoring the way Sebastian's girth dragged in and out of him, rubbing him in all the right ways. A cool hand wrapped around his cock unexpectedly, making Ciel's eyes pop open. Sebastian stroked him in time with his thrusts, swiping his thumb over the tip with every pass and staring intently up at him like this was the best thing to ever happen. Ciel felt powerful and self-conscious at the same time.

Strong hips rose up suddenly to meet his thrusts, making Ciel scream and throw his head back in pleasure. He bounced faster and Sebastian thrust harder. It was a game to see which could make the other come faster. Sebastian ground his teeth as the silken sheath around his cock squeezed him rhythmically. He gripped Ciel's hips hard to drive himself deeper in response, making the smaller man pant. Ciel used his free hands to his advantage, reaching down to twist Sebastian's nipples hard.

"You little shit," the vampire huffed, tilting his pelvis to better hit Ciel's prostate. From the way the Were jerked, he was right on target. Sebastian grinned as he slammed into it over and over, making Ciel scream incoherently.

Never one to be outdone, Ciel martialed his strength and leaned down to pant into Sebastian's ear, licking and nipping at it. "Meow," he breathed sweetly. The reaction was instantaneous. Sebastian hissed and jerked twice before Ciel felt warmth filling him. He smirked and sat back up, running one hand over his own chest and the other across his straining arousal, jerking himself off while he ground down on Sebastian. Surprisingly, he felt the length inside him hardening again, arousal renewed by his gyrations and erotic show. He had just enough time to widen his eyes in surprise before the vampire started pounding into him again, resuming his assault on Ciel's prostate.

Sebastian snarled, baser instincts taking over. His eyes glowed and his teeth lengthened and he wanted nothing more than to complete the circuit, burying his teeth in Ciel's throat while fucking his own come out of that tight little hole. Instead of being frightened away, Ciel appeared turned on by his slipping control. The Were bit his lip and leaned down, pressing their chests together. "Come on, bite me. I know you want to."

If that wasn't an engraved invitation on a gilded platter, Sebastian didn't know what was. He lurched forward, locking his arms around Ciel's torso and sinking his teeth into that ivory neck without so much as a hitch in his thrusting. If anything, he sped up. The heady joy of quenching his thirst coupled with giving in to a longstanding desire drove him perilously close to the edge again. Not wanting to indulge in a second orgasm before his lover had had a first, Sebastian pulled back and snaked a hand between them, rubbing and teasing and fondling Ciel's erection with all the skill he could muster. Sebastian swore to himself that one day he would take the time to treat Ciel properly and not lose his damn head every time they had sex.

The Were came with a cry, tossing his head back. His tail shivered and ears flattened, which Sebastian found absolutely fascinating. He slowed his thrusts to observe Ciel's blissed out, orgasmic state, stopping completely when Ciel lowered his head and stared at him with heavy-lidded eyes. They flashed vampiric red for a bare second before reverting to blue – or one of them did, anyway. The other had a glowing purple star. Sebastian froze and sucked in a startled breath, eyes darting between Ciel's eye and his own left hand on the boy's hip, the star-shaped scar on which was also glowing a faint purple. Ciel followed his gaze and yipped, jerking away.

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" Ciel asked, staring at Sebastian's hand like it would bite him.

Sebastian held it up and examined it curiously. "I think it means we need to visit your witch."


	10. Chapter 10

The Green Witch was perched on a high stool behind the front counter sipping coffee out of a large Starbucks cup when Sebastian and Ciel arrived at her shop the next morning. Her long black hair was pulled up into a high ponytail and her simple clothing was all-black once again, accented today with bright pops of silver jewelry. She glanced up from her tablet and smiled broadly when the door chimed. "If it isn't the little trouble-maker!" she called in greeting.

Ciel's ears burned pink. "Hello," he said politely, trying not to show how her teasing always flustered him.

Ms. Sullivan's eyes ran over Sebastian curiously. "You're not poppa wolf."

The vampire quirked a brow at the odd greeting. "No, miss. My name is Sebastian Michaelis; I'm a friend of Ciel."

"Finally, one of you lot has mastered introductions. I'm Sieglinde Sullivan, but something tells me you two aren't here to chat." She hopped off her stool and rounded the counter to grab Ciel's face without preamble. The Were gasped and tensed but didn't pull away as she tilted his head side to side, humming. "I see, I see. Very interesting. I didn't think it would happen so soon though."

"What are you talking about?" Ciel demanded.

Sieglinde ignored his question. "You still haven't taken care of your vampire problem, either."

Ciel shot a look at Sebastian. "No shit. I've kind of put that on hiatus to deal with whatever _this_ ," he gestured broadly to himself, "is."

The teenage witch nodded. "Come with me." She turned abruptly, leading them into the dim back room he remembered from last time. Ciel settled himself primly next to Ms. Sullivan at the 'head' of the round table while Sebastian shuffled around like a kid in a candy store, poking, prodding, and examining everything with interest. Ciel rolled his eyes. He was the witch's problem now; she could tell him to stop if he bugged her, which apparently he didn't as she just gathered her things calmly, paying him no mind. She abruptly stabbed Ciel's hand where it rested on the arm of his chair.

"Ow! Why do you keep _doing_ that!?" he shouted, reflexively pulling it to his chest.

"Hand," she said, extending one of hers to take it.

"No, just you just stabbed me freaking again," Ciel grumbled, clutching it tightly.

"Not you." Looking just over Ciel's head, she said, "Him."

Ciel looked up to find Sebastian looming over him like a creep. The vampire extended his left hand over Ciel's shoulder and the witch inspected it thoroughly. The star-shaped wound had faded from angry red to brown and didn't appear to be raw anymore. It also didn't really appear to be healing either, which was kind of disturbing in its own right – not nearly as disturbing as the way it suddenly glowed violet, though. Ciel jerked away again like he had the previous night. "What's wrong with it?" he asked.

The witch let go of Sebastian and handed Ciel the large hand mirror sitting in front of her. "The same thing that's wrong with you, I'd expect."

Ciel frowned and took the ornate looking glass, jumping when he saw his own reflection. He pulled the mirror closer, staring unblinkingly at the glowing purple star in his right eye until it faded. "Weird."

"Very," she noted. She jerked her head at Sebastian, gesturing for him to have a seat. "Why don't you two tell me _exactly_ how you two got those marks?"

Ciel exchanged a look with Sebastian who nodded. The Were sighed and gestured for Sebastian to tell it. He'd been unconscious for most of what happened anyway so his account probably wasn't the most reliable.

As Sebastian told it, he had come to visit Ciel on the full moon as always but arrived to find the house on fire and Ciel missing, a packed bag left by the window. Sebastian found no survivors and no Ciel so he rightfully suspected foul play and set off in search of him. The vampire had followed Ciel's screams to a shed behind the Trancy house and arrived just in time to see Alois preparing to stab him with the star blade. Naturally, he threw out a hand to stop the blade only for it to tear right through him and slam into Ciel, through his eye.

Ciel flinched at that part, reaching up to gingerly touch his eyelid as if to reassure himself it was still there.

Sebastian then described in great detail how he tore Alois and Claude limb-from-limb as they screamed in horrible agony – a wonderfully bloody account which was cut off abruptly by Sieglinde with, "Yes, yes, I get the picture. You made werewolf soup, moving on." She snatched Ciel's hand while he was distracted, holding it up to show that it was perfectly healed. "I take it this doesn't normally happen?"

Ciel blinked at it, forgetting to struggle in his surprise. "Not that fast, no. Normally it would take an hour or two to heal that well."

She nodded. "Just as I suspected."

Ciel practically screamed in frustration at the way she kept hinting at knowing things without ever _explaining_ what was going on. Before he could snap at her, Sebastian cut in with a polite, "What are you thinking?"

She turned to Ciel, her bottle-green eyes luminous even in the low light. "You know how vampires are made, right?"

"Yes, and I'm going to stab _you_ with that little pig-sticker if you don't hurry the hell up and tell me what's going on," Ciel threatened, pointing at the oversized needle she seemed overly fond of tormenting him with.

Sieglinde laughed. "Feisty. I like it." She carried on explaining at her own pace. "Then you know that a significant amount of vampire blood has to enter the human – or in this case, werewolf – system at the moment of death for the magic to take hold and change that person into a vampire, yes?"

Ciel hadn't known all that specifically, but he had gotten the general idea of vampire blood healing dying people from Sebastian's garbled tale of what happened to him, so he nodded anyway.

"And you also know that the dagger I gave you syphons a vampire's magical energy away, correct?" Ciel nodded again, an idea forming in the back of his mind. "Well then, I'd say this was a one-in-a-million chance occurrence." She paused to let Ciel finish putting the pieces together himself before nodding. "Exactly. The dagger killed you like any normal dagger would have, however, in the process, it also went through Mister Michaelis. Again, under normal circumstances that much vampire blood-magic would have turned you into a vampire … if you hadn't been killed by a vampire-draining dagger."

Ciel blinked at her. A headache was forming behind his eyes as he tried to grasp all the twists and turns. "Shouldn't I just be … dead, then?"

"I'm _assuming_ Sebastian here immediately yanked the dagger out of his hand, ergo your head, right?" Sebastian nodded. "Well, then. That certainly doesn't meet the criteria of 'long enough for the magic to work' now does it?"

"Time out," Ciel called, putting his hands together to make a **T**. "You're saying I died because I got stabbed, and then I was healed by Sebastian's blood, but I'm _not_ a vampire because, what, the dagger is somehow syphoning away this invisible 'vampire magic' shit?"

"Essentially, yes. You're trapped in transition. Any time the vampire contagion, for lack of a better word, flares up to heal you or tries to push your body over the border from biological to magical, the dagger's magic sucks it away."

He believed that about as much as he did Sebastian's kooky idea that a person's soul traveled around in his blood, but nodded anyway. "Okay, so if all that is true, what's wrong with Sebastian? He's not transitioning and it doesn't seem to be killing him."

"He didn't get stabbed in the head," Sieglinde pointed out. "He got a brief poke in a non-fatal area. If it weren't for you, his hand would have already healed."

"Me! How's it my fault?" Ciel sputtered.

She sighed. "Do you even listen? I didn't say it was your _fault_. His magic is trying to turn you and it can't. If this were a normal transition, you'd either be fully vampire or fully dead; the end, connection closed. Because of your situation, you can't die _or_ transition and the connection between you is stuck open."

"We're … connected?" Ciel asked, looking at the vampire to his right. Sebastian shrugged, clearly as confused as he was.

"Honestly!" Sieglinde huffed. "Don't either of you know anything about magic?" Ciel shook his head. Sebastian held up his pinched fingers to indicate 'a little.' She sighed again. "Yes, you're connected. Transitions draw on the sire vampire's magic to heal and complete the transformation. Once the fledgling vampire completes his metamorphosis into a beautiful blood-sucking butterfly, his own magic takes over. Since you," she pointed at Ciel, "will never be a butterfly, you," she pointed at Sebastian, "will always be on the hook for healing his boo-boos."

Ignoring her condescension, Ciel blinked as the implications of her words sank in. "Are you saying that I'm still a werewolf?"

"Fully."

"And that I can't be injured or killed?"

"So long as you're still attached to that big battery there, no. Not by outside means, anyway. Biological things like diseases will probably still happen, though."

"And what does that mean for me?" Sebastian asked, staring at his marked hand.

She eyed him thoughtfully for a moment before saying, "Not much, I'd expect. You may have to increase your feedings a bit to keep up with the extra magical expenditure of caring for your new pet but unless he's exceptionally clumsy, he shouldn't be much of a drain."

Ciel bristled. "I am not his pet!"

"Potato, potatoe, short stack. He's stuck taking care of you for the rest of your natural life whether he wants to or not so maybe you should try to be a little grateful, hm?"

Sebastian gave him a smug look which Ciel returned balefully. "Like hell," he muttered.

Sieglinde snorted daintily. "Something for you to work out later then, huh? Fine. Now about your vampire problem."

Ciel rolled his eyes. "We just finished discussing my vampire problem."

She waved him off. "Do you want my help or not?"

"What do you mean?" Ciel asked, confused.

"You were all gung-ho about killing your stalker two months ago," she said, throwing up a hand. "Have you changed your mind or something?"

"Why would I want to kill Sebastian if he's taking care of me? Wouldn't that be counterproductive?"

She paused and tilted her head. "Yes it would. I would advise against doing that."

"But you just said –"

"I believe you two are talking about two different things," Sebastian interjected.

Sieglinde looked between the two males, mouth widening into an **O** of understanding. She laughed hysterically, making Ciel grimace and want to cover his ears. "This really is too good," she said, wiping away a tear. While Sebastian was always at the top of his Shit List, this little female was certainly giving him a run for his money. The Green Witch leaned over the table to invade Ciel's space and ask: "You did the monster mash with this guy while thinking he was killing your friends? What kind of therapy do you need, kid?"

Ciel gawked. "I can't believe you just said that."

"And I can't believe you're porking a man who looks just like your dad, but do you seriously think he's the killer? _Seriously_?"

"Um," he looked between her incredulous face and Sebastian's amused one, suddenly feeling unsure of himself. "Yes?"

She threw up her hands and stood, pacing. "I do not know why you put up with him," she told Sebastian. "He's a cute little runt but he better be amazing in the sack to make up for his issues."

"That he is," Sebastian said, deep voice rumbling with amusement. Ciel threw him a pained expression, begging him to shut up. Sebastian snickered and patted him on the head, earning a glare.

"Are you trying to tell me there's _another_ one of these lunatics out there?" Ciel demanded, jerking a thumb at Sebastian and ignoring his petting. He honestly didn't know if he could handle the thought of a second murderous, clingy hell-beast breathing down his neck.

"Yep," she said, flopping back down. "There are a surprising number of them out there actually but only one other one who's focused on you."

"Thank God for small favors," Ciel muttered.

"Since you're having no luck finding the vampire on your own, how about I make it come to you, hm?"

Ciel perked up. "You can do that? Why didn't you do it before?"

"Why didn't I sic a murderous vampire on a pack of paranoid werewolves who would blame me for everything and kill me on sight? Gee, I wonder." Ciel pulled a face. Yeah, they probably would have blamed her for everything if they thought she could control the vampire, even minutely. There was a time when he would have argued that his pack was level-headed and fair, but that time had long since passed. He could now say from personal experience that werewolves are completely intolerant and borderline paranoid. "I trust you brought the dagger?"

Ciel cocked his head when Sebastian pulled it out of his jacket and handed it over. "This thing can hurt me. You didn't think I just left it lying around, did you?" Sebastian explained. Ciel shrugged. He hadn't thought of it like that, but it made sense. He probably would have done the same thing.

"Excellent. I'm going to use this to create a beacon to lure the vampire in. The creature is already drawn to baby-wolf and this was pretty intimately acquainted with him so it'll make a good substitute."

Sebastian looked like he was about to name something else that had been 'intimately acquainted' with Ciel but was silenced by a dirty look. To prevent the vampire from saying anything, he asked, "Why not just have the vampire come directly to me?"

Sieglinde slanted her eyes over to him, hands setting up her spell tray automatically without pausing. "Ignoring the fact that I'm about to light this on fire, do you want a murderous vampire to show up in the room while you're on the pot or in the shower?" Ciel shook his head. "Didn't think so. Using people as beacons is generally a bad idea, no matter what you're trying to attract." Ciel nodded, not interrupting again. He watched in rapt silence as she sprinkled pink salt over the blade, dipped it into a glossy liquid, blew incense over it, and plunged it into an empty bowl where it immediately burst into flames. She was muttering something under her breath the whole time. Her words sounded foreign and Ciel doubted he would have been able to understand them if he could hear them. The flames stopped abruptly when her chant ended and Ciel was strangely gratified by the overtly magical display; it more than made up for the less-showy performance when she read his blood last time.

The Green Witch lifted the dagger by its handle and flicked it. The black color of the blade slipped down like oil, flung off by the motion to reveal gleaming gold. The unnatural sight made the hairs on the back of Ciel's neck stand up as his brain tried to process what just happened. She extended the blade past Ciel to Sebastian, who took it gingerly. "I would suggest keeping this away from Ciel as much as possible, otherwise I might as well have just used him." The vampire nodded.

"How long will it take?" Ciel asked.

Sieglinde threw up a hand. "Hours, days, who knows? The pull will get stronger and stronger until it can't be resisted. The vampire might show up immediately or might fight against it for weeks. Only time will tell."

Ciel's brow twitched. "That's helpful."

The witch's expression darkened. "Not as helpful as the bill you're about to pay."

"B-bill?" he asked, taken aback.

"I'm a business, shrimp, of course there's a bill. You think I do this out of the goodness of my little heart?" Ciel blinked at her. She scoffed and turned her attention to Sebastian. "Cash or credit?"

Walking out to the car a few minutes later, Ciel grumbled, "I can't believe you just gave her five grand."

"Would you rather I had bartered my services to her as payment?" the vampire asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Tch, like I care what you do. I just meant I can't believe she charged that much." Ciel folded his arms and scowled at the ground.

Heeding the witch's advice to keep the dagger away from Ciel, Sebastian secured it in the cargo hold of his black SUV before joining Ciel up in the front. "She did provide useful information," Sebastian pointed out. "And she gave me a lucky quarter." The vampire held up the ordinary coin in question. Her only instructions had been " _Don't lose this. It will determine your future one day._ " Ciel made a rude noise, clearly thinking that Sebastian had been had. Sebastian grinned slyly. "No? Why don't we talk about your daddy issues, then?"

Ciel choked.

\---

They drove around town all day as they debated on where to wait for the vampire to show up, eventually deciding familiar ground would be best. With no further ado, Sebastian returned them to his house. Ciel stared at the pretty white and sage exterior, trying for the millionth time to wrap his mind around the idea of vampires in suburbia. It looked so normal from the outside.

Sebastian moved the dagger into his rarely-used front sitting room, wedging it between couch cushions where Ciel could reach it quickly and easily if needed. Obviously, that was a last resort backup scenario; Plan A was for Sebastian to hear the vampire breaking in and rip his head off before the creature knew what was happening. Having seen (or not seen, as was more accurately the case) how quickly Sebastian moved, Ciel thought Plan A was lightyears better than trusting his own fumbling fingers to somehow find, raise, aim, and drive in the dagger before the vampire grabbed him.

The two retreated to the back of the house to wait. Ciel knew Ms. Sullivan said it could take days or even weeks for the vampire to show up, but he was sitting on pins and needles, growing tenser by the second as he waited for it to happen any second.

"You're going to hyperventilate," Sebastian warned without looking up as he cut raw chicken breasts into strips. Ciel flinched at the unexpected sound of his voice. "Why don't you cut up those potatoes?" The vampire suggested, lifting his elbow to indicate a perforated plastic bag on the white stone counter. "We'll make French fries to go with your chicken fingers."

"But what if –"

"Then I will kill him, wash my hands, and continue cooking your dinner. You have absolutely nothing to be worried about, Ciel." The vampire dumped the chicken into a bowl of beaten eggs and stirred it around with the fingertips of one hand before dredging the pieces through a flour mixture. Ciel felt himself relaxing as he watched Sebastian's calm, methodical movements. If the vampire wasn't worried, he shouldn't be either. Frazzled nerves soothed, he pulled a large, wooden cutting board off the wall and set about slicing the potatoes into even wedges. Sebastian nodded his approval and pulled out a second skillet, putting it next to the first on his gas range and filling both with oil.

A polite knock sounded on the front door, making both men pause and exchange a glance. That was unexpected.

"Do you think it's him?" Ciel whispered, not moving a muscle.

Sebastian hummed thoughtfully, staring in the direction of the front door even though there were too many walls and corners between them to see it. "I doubt it. Rampaging vampires generally don't knock." The doorbell chimed, followed by another polite knock. "Hell of a time for Girl Scout cookies, though" he muttered. "Stay here; I'll get rid of them."

Ciel nodded and waited a solid 3.5 seconds before following right after him. He poked his nose around the corner just in time to watch Sebastian open the door. His mouth fell open at who was on the other side.

"Yes?" the vampire asked politely.

"Hello, _handsome_!" Grell purred, draping herself across the frame.

Sebastian's face twisted in confusion and Ciel walked up cautiously behind him to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. " _Grell_?" he asked incredulously. Her slender frame was backlit by the vibrant orange sunlight, red hair practically glowing. It felt so surreal he almost pinched himself.

Grell's red lips parted in a wide smile. "Heya, kiddo! I just _knew_ you made it out."

Sebastian looked from Ciel to the redheaded stranger and back. "You know him?"

" _Her!_ " Grell snapped. "And yes he certainly does." Grell crossed her arms over her flat chest. Sebastian could be forgiven for his confusion considering her very masculine attire today consisting of a white button-up with black vest, slacks, and flat brogues. Aside from her long red hair and flawless makeup, there was absolutely nothing feminine about her look which struck Ciel as slightly odd.

"How did you find me?" Ciel asked warily. "And more importantly: how did _you_ make it out?" Sebastian had said no one was alive inside – does that mean Grell wasn't there … or wasn't alive?

"Are we going to stand in the door all day or what?" Grell huffed.

Ciel looked up at Sebastian, who looked as skeptical as he felt. The vampire jerked his head toward the parlor and Ciel nodded. "Yeah, alright. Come on in." He backed slowly into the front sitting room, claiming a seat on the sofa next to the hidden dagger. He rested his hand casually on the seam of the couch cushions. Sebastian stood in the doorway, keeping a keen eye on Grell, who claimed a club chair. Grell looked the same as she always had and her vivid green eyes seemed completely unaffected by the bright light, so she obviously hadn't joined Team Vampire, but that didn't mean she hadn't been working with the mystery vamp all along. Ciel perked up. _Speaking of vampires_ … "Grell, where's Aunt Ann?" If his assumption about Grell being dead had been wrong, Ann might not be dead either.

"Oh, she's lurking around somewhere," Grell said with a wave of her hand.

Ciel's breath caught. "So she's not –" he cut off, unable to say the word.

"Dead?" Grell supplied for him. "Heavens no. It takes more than a little fire to kill a vampire."

Ciel's shocked eyes darted to Sebastian. "You never told me that!"

Sebastian's brows rose at the Were's accusatory tone. "Why would I? You know the only thing that can kill a vampire is magic."

"Yes – but you said no one was alive – and I thought that meant –" Ciel stammered. He looked back at Grell, "So she's okay?"

"Of course. She's madder than a hornet that all her clothes got burned up, but otherwise she's fine." Grell leaned back and twirled a lock of hair.

Ciel slumped in relief. "Thank God. I thought everyone had, you know." Tears prickled at his eyes.

Grell clucked her tongue. "You poor little thing. Yes, she's alright; you're not alone. I'm sure she'd be delighted if you wanted to move in with her."

"You didn't answer his questions," Sebastian pointed out coolly. "How did you make it out of the fire and why are you here?"

Grell blinked up at him. "Simple: I wasn't there. Neither was Ann for that matter. We went out for ice cream after Ciel stormed up to his room and came back to find the whole place up in flames. She went in to try and save anyone she could but Rachel and Vincent were already dead; Ciel was missing."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "How convenient."

Grell clenched her jaw. "It's the _truth_."

"And you happened to stumble upon the correct house to find Ciel two days later?"

Grell made an ugly face at him. "The obvious place to find that little squirt was with his boyfriend. We just asked around about you until someone told us where your house was. It's not like you live far away."

Sebastian still looked unconvinced and Ciel didn't blame him. Something was definitely … off. Another knock sounded on the door and both men froze, eyeing it warily.

"Isn't anyone going to get that?" Grell asked brightly. Her usual manic grin was rubbing Ciel in all the wrong ways today. Sebastian looked at her darkly and the knocking sounded again. Ciel gestured for him to go get it. He would be fine alone with a human for a few minutes.

"Oh, hello," the familiar voice of Angelina echoed through the foyer clearly when Sebastian opened the door. "I'm here for my nephew."

"In here, Ann," Grell called, forestalling any response Sebastian might have had. Aunt Ann stepped inside uninvited, eyes locking onto Ciel. She moved toward him only to have her bicep grabbed by Sebastian in an iron hold.

Ann tugged, frowning when she couldn't break free. "What is the meaning of this?" she snarled. "Unhand me!"

Ignoring the open door, Sebastian scowled down at her. "You're the one we're looking for, aren't you?"

Ann redoubled her efforts to break free. "What are you talking about? Let me go. Ciel!" she pleaded.

Ciel's eyes were wide as he watched Sebastian and Ann struggle. "Aunt Ann, what's he talking about?"

"I don't know. Just call him off already." She ceased her struggles, glaring up at him fiercely. Sebastian now gripped both of her upper arms tightly. "I just want my nephew."

Sebastian chuckled darkly. "Yes, I'd say you do. Enough to kill for him. Enough to take everything from him. Enough to make sure he's so completely alone in the world that he has no choice but to cling to you."

Ciel scooted back on the sofa, pressing his back against the arm as he instinctively recoiled. "Ann?" he asked, a horrible idea forming in his mind.

"You didn't count on anyone seeing the bodies, did you?" Sebastian asked calmly, as if what little was left of Ciel's world wasn't going to hell in that room. The raven-haired man leaned down to stage whisper in her ear, "But I did."

The effect was instantaneous. Ann went rigid in his grip, then slackened as she breathed out the faintest unamused laugh. Her lips curled in a wry smile. "So you know, then."

Sebastian bared his teeth in a sharp smile. "Why don't you explain it to the class? I'm sure Ciel would love to know why you killed his parents."

Ciel shook his head. "No. Aunt Ann, please no."

She looked pained, though Ciel suspected it had more to do with getting caught than any real guilt. She tried to take a step forward but was brought up short by Sebastian, who smiled as if daring her to try something. She snarled at him, face softening as she turned back around to look at Ciel. "Pumpkin –"

"Don't call me that!" he shouted, curling in on himself.

Her red brows drew together. "I only did it to protect you. You know that what Vincent was going to tell the elders would have been bad for you. They would have killed you, all of you."

"Or they could not have!" Ciel shouted back. "Did you ever think that they might have listened?"

She gave him a pitying expression. "Werewolves? Listen? About _outsiders_? Honey, I don't know what lies those mongrels have been feeding you but werewolves don't listen, understand, or tolerate _shit_!" She unconsciously pulled against Sebastian, expression pained. "They would have _killed_ you for being with him and I refused to let that happen."

"She's right you know," Grell chimed in. She was leaned back comfortably in her chair with her legs crossed, examining her nails casually. "Your aunt did you a favor, kid."

Ciel blinked at her. "How can you _say_ that? She killed my parents."

"Not just your parents," Sebastian noted. Ciel paled. "That's right; she killed all the others, too."

Ciel swallowed, face hardening. "It was you." He didn't ask; he stated it. If she had killed her own sister to 'protect' him, strangers would have been no small matter. "I was fool for ruling you out."

It was her turn to look shocked. "You suspected your own aunt?" Ciel's lip curled at the note of hurt in her voice. How dare she act offended when she was the culprit all along?

"Of course; you are a vampire. Naturally you were a suspect regardless of your degree of relationship to me. I crossed you off because you didn't come to town until after the first two murders … or so I thought." He burned her with a dirty look, hatred smoldering in his blue eyes. Ciel practically kicked himself for not considering the possibility that Ann and Grell could have snuck into town weeks before anyone knew and lied about it. "What did you hope to accomplish, Ann?"

Her red eyes widened. "I only wanted to protect you."

Ciel's eyes narrowed. "I doubt it, so I'll ask again. What did you _want_ , Ann?"

Her face contorted disturbingly. "I wanted _you_!" she practically screamed, voice full of pain. Only Sebastian's grip on her held her up.

Ciel scowled. "What the hell does that mean? You wanted me?" Ann looked way, not speaking. Ciel looked over at Grell, who pantomimed zipping her lips and appeared disturbingly amused by the whole situation. Ciel frowned, watching her closely out of the corner of his eye as he turned his attention back to Sebastian.

At Ciel's look, he shook Ann slightly. She kept her lips stubbornly sealed. "Well, if you're not going to talk, maybe I'll venture a guess, hm?" Sebastian purred in her ear. Ann squeezed her eyes shut. "I think you were so hung up on Ciel's father that you wanted a second shot at him. You were going to use your long-lost-love's son as a substitute despite the fact he is your own nephew. How disturbing."

Ciel made a fact of disgust. That idea was revolting, and from the furious look on Ann's face it wasn't correct. She whipped her head around to spit in Sebastian's face. "You're sick."

He smiled brightly, ignoring the mess on his cheek. "Why don't you enlighten us, then?"

"He should have been _mine_! I was going to marry Vincent, not my sister – me. I love Ciel as my own child. I would never hurt him," she said firmly, with dogmatic conviction. There was clearly no doubt in her mind that what she had done was right.

"Aunt Ann," Ciel whispered, stunned by her outburst.

"Don't you see how much I love you, pumpkin? If I were your mother I would never have let any of those filthy mongrels touch you. All I ever wanted was to protect you. Why don't you come back home with me? We can live together like we were always meant to."

Ciel's heart sank. Ann was clearly delusional. There would be no forgiveness or apologies here, no fixing what she had done. There was only one solution. He licked his lips and met Sebastian's eyes. In a flash, his hands were around her throat and Ciel was in a mirror position across the room with Grell's fingers digging into his own neck.

"Ah-ah-ah," Grell chided Sebastian. "Let Ann go or the kid gets it." Sebastian froze, not releasing his grip on the female vampire. Grell started humming and tightening his fingers. After a second Ciel recognized the tune and widened his eyes: Pop goes the Weasel.

Sebastian slackened his fingers enough for Ann to shout, "Grell, no!"

"Sorry, Ann dear, but I'm not going to let him end you." Grell relaxed his own grip enough for Ciel to gasp in a breath before tightening it back down as their stalemate continued.

Ciel struggled ineffectively. He scrabbled at Grell's hands and kicked her shins, eyes bulging from the pressure – and the sudden realization of what Grell was. "Vam-pi-re," he wheezed against the fingers crushing his windpipe.

"Very good," she giggled, smiling her Cheshire grin.

"But – how?" Ciel spared precious oxygen to gasp.

Grell threw up one hand dramatically, still gripping Ciel's throat firmly with the other. "A long, long time ago – no, let's not start there. That's not interesting to you at all. Once upon a time, my best friend agreed to carry a baby for me." Ciel blinked at the unexpected response. What could this possibly have to do with –? Grell's theatrical dialogue cut off his pondering. Her grip loosened slightly as she spoke so he wouldn't pass out and rob her of her audience. "It wasn't _my_ baby, of course, as my kind can't reproduce like that, but it didn't matter. She was carrying _a_ baby and it was going to be mine. We were all very happy until one day when her childhood crush finally noticed her. They fell madly in love and were going to be married, but she had a deep, dark secret: she never told him she was carrying another man's baby." Ciel inhaled sharply, eyes going to Ann who stood statue still in Sebastian's grip, face blank. "The selfish little girl didn't want to lose her shot at being a princess so she went out and _killed_ my baby." Grell's voice grew distorted as her fangs extended. "Bad girls need to be punished so I showed her just what it felt like to lose the thing you wanted most." Grell pulled Ciel to her chest, one arm wrapped around his stomach, the other around his throat. She leaned down to breathe into his ear, "I ripped her open; pulled out that womb she didn't seem to value, and beat her empty head in with a brick." Ciel shivered, making Grell laugh. She stood back up and finished airily. "Naturally the little tart wouldn't have learned anything if she died, so I fixed her all up and we continued being the best of friends ever since. The end."

Ciel stared at Ann in horrified silence, at a complete loss for words. Her wry smile returned at his dumbfounded expression. "I told Vincent what happened and he left me. The man I've loved for my entire life left me because I died. He told me there was no place for a creature like me in pack life; it 'goes against their rules.' So you see, I _do_ know your precious pack better than you."

Grell rolled her eyes. Up this close and paying attention, Ciel could see that they were contacts. Very good contacts, but colored lenses nonetheless. "This is all very entertaining, but let's get this show on the road, hm? Let Ann go or I kill the little kitty. Nothing personal, kid, but I don't fancy letting your hunka-man rip her head off."

"Don't you _dare_ ," Ann snarled. Sebastian, however, was abnormally calm.

"Sorry, dearie. If I have to pick between you and short-stack, I'm picking my bestie every time."

"Why are you _doing_ this?" Ciel shouted. "You don't care about me. Why are you even here?"

Grell huffed. "Enough talking."

"No," Ciel said stubbornly. "If I'm going to die, I want to know why."

"I'm here because Ann was supposed to just grab you and go but she got in over her own fool head, that's why," Grell snapped. "She wasn't happy with just taking you; she wanted to make sure you _liked_ her and _wanted_ to go." Her sharp nails dug into Ciel's skin and drew blood as her fingers closed around his throat. "And that's enough of that." She turned her attention to Sebastian, announcing, "Let Ann go. We're taking the kid."

Sebastian smirked. "No." He popped Ann's head off like a Barbie doll's, staring Grell straight in the eye as if saying 'Your move.' The redhead let out an inhuman cry and crushed Ciel's throat with a single squeeze, flinging him aside to lunge at Sebastian.

When Ciel's eyes reopened a few minutes later, he was on the floor practically under the sofa looking up at Sebastian and Grell grappling and tussling. The sunset had finished fading and the large picture window was now a black mirror. The two vampires lunged and retreated, flickering in and out of Ciel's vision with their speed. Grell knocked Sebastian into a chair, the legs of which snapped under the force. Sebastian retaliated by flinging Grell into a curio cabinet, which shattered and gouged the drywall. Ciel desperately wanted to help but could barely see them as they darted around. Finally, his chance came. They had their arms locked together, hands on each other's shoulders, fangs extended and snapping as they alternately pulled and pushed, each trying to get the upper hand. It was as good of a shot as he would get. Ciel shoved his hand under the couch cushion to grasp the handle of the handle of the star blade and sprang up, using his momentum to drive it through the center of Grell's back and into her heart.

Grell wheezed, wide eyes meeting Ciel's reflection in the window. Sebastian released his grip on Grell's arms and the redheaded vampire fell to her knees, gasping as if all the air in the room had been sucked out. She scratched ineffectively at her flat chest before falling back on the dagger, making Ciel gag when the tip of it popped out her front covered in gore. Neither man made a motion to remove it.

\---

The next morning, Ciel went to visit Elder Harrison. He brought with him the heads of Angelina and Grell, helpfully severed by Sebastian whom Ciel was careful to leave out of all his accounts. Harrison convened the others so Ciel could tell his story to the group at large.

As Ciel told it, this whole mess was revenge, pure and simple. It began thirty years ago with the pack's rejection of Angelina after her transformation into a vampire. Ann was tired of being spit upon by the people she had hoped to call family and finally snapped, dragging another vampire in as an accomplice. She murdered the younger generation indiscriminately to punish their parents and lit Phantomhive manor on fire as a double-pronged attack to both kill the man who rejected her and murder an important Were leader. As for what the witch said about Ann being after Ciel, it was a simple misunderstanding as Ann was after _all_ the Were children, not just Ciel whose blood was used in the scrying.  

"And that is why," Ciel said, "We need to foster better relationships with outsiders. This whole mess would have been avoided if we were more tolerant. We cannot continue to live in isolation."

"But this tragedy was the result of letting an outsider live among us!" the oldest elder complained.

"No, it was the result of treating her poorly. My mother lived among you peacefully for over twenty years as a human because you were respectful of her. Ann snapped because you rejected, used, and tormented her for being different. You snatched away her happiness and held her at arm's length because she could never be like you." He looked around the room, meeting every man's eye and daring them to argue. No one did. "That is why I'm traveling to Queen Victoria to discuss this matter in person. Hopefully the next generation of werewolves will be more tolerant and this situation will not be repeated in the future."

"You have no right!" one named Jones objected. "Your father may have been District Leader but you're just an uninitiated pup. How dare you speak to us like this? You think you can march up to the queen and demand an audience like an equal just to shame us? We won't allow it."

Dark blue eyes narrowed. "You shame yourselves. This tragedy was a result of the older generation's mistakes. It is up to the younger generation to ensure it never happens again. I'm not here to ask permission; I merely came as a courtesy to let you know the situation has been resolved and explain what caused it. If you'll excuse me, I need to be on my way."

"Wait – what happened to Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus?" Wright shouted. "They've been missing since the night of the fire."

Ciel lifted his brows, the picture of innocent surprise. "Have they? That's news to me, but not entirely surprising. We did have a murderous vampire roaming around, after all."

"Either she got them or they ran off together," Harrison muttered, earning him a few dirty looks. "What? You know how close those two were. Old Trancy never would have approved. I probably would have beat it too if all my friends had been murdered."

Ciel smirked and hefted his bag of heads. He walked out without another word.

Sebastian watched the whole exchange from a tree outside, garnet eyes twinkling with amusement. Werewolves truly were entertaining creatures. He wanted to follow Ciel to the Were Queen's den (wouldn't _that_ have been a hoot?) but the little Were drew the line at leading an outsider to their innermost inner sanctum of little wolfy secrets. Turns out the shrimp still held a shred of respect for his people after all.

Sebastian waited for his return. And waited. And eventually moved on. Contrary to Ciel's frequent accusations, Sebastian was not a stalker and let him go peacefully, though he very much would have liked to follow.

Ciel kept in loose touch over the years. An email here, a phone call there. Just after moving back into his Italian home, Sebastian learned that Ciel had not only taken over his father's position as District Leader but surpassed him as Regional Leader as well. Good for him. Contact petered out over the next few decades until Sebastian was certain Ciel had passed. It had been, what, fifty years since he'd last heard from him? Werewolves weren't terribly different from humans in lifespan.

The vampire still smiled fondly as he thought back on their brief few months together. To hell with being branded a stalker, if there was one thing he regretted it was not giving into his desire to follow that entertaining little Were boy around for the rest of his life whether Ciel wanted him or not. Sebastian's mind kept wandering back to him as he stared up at a flight board, trying to decide where to go next. One couldn't go to Hell without passing through Atlanta, Georgia so he thought it was the perfect place to start his newest leg of life.

_Nassau or Cancun?_ he pondered. It was the dead of winter and Sebastian was sick to death of snow. He'd rather tear off his own head than go north again.

After a futile hour of watching destinations flip by with nothing catching his attention, Sebastian sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets, freezing when he felt a familiar quarter in his pocket. He pulled it out and really looked at it for the first time in ages. He had carried it with him every day since Sieglinde Sullivan had told him it would "determine his future" but it had yet to do anything at all. It was ordinary in every way and Sebastian would not have been surprised in the least to learn the little witch had only been teasing him with her weird sense of humor.

Lips quirked into a crooked smirk, he looked back up at the boards, determined to finally put his 'lucky' coin to good use. "Time to put up or shut up," he murmured to it. "Heads, the Bahamas; tails, Mexico." With that, he flicked it high into the air, watching it flip and spin. As his eyes followed it back down, they snagged on a flash of brilliant blue. He caught the coin mechanically, not looking to see what it landed on; all his attention was focused on the slender young man checking a bag ten feet away.

"Thank you very much, Mister Phantomhive. I hope you enjoy Toronto," the gate agent said cordially.

Sebastian stopped breathing when the familiar ashy-haired figure turned and walked past him, cerulean eyes locked onto his boarding pass. There was no mistaking it – this was Ciel. The original Ciel. His Ciel. Young and perfect and alive, not a day older than the last time Sebastian had seen him. The vampire looked down at the back of his left hand, which still bore a blackened star-shaped scar. He hadn't seen it glow in ages, but the connection must still be active and keeping Ciel trapped in transition.

Blazing red eyes flicked up to where he'd seen the blue-eyed man disappear and his face spread into a toothy grin. "Winter in Toronto it is."

 

 

* * *

**The End**


End file.
